the trial run

We completed the first run of the lobster bake and it went quite well; i didn’t believe that it would all cook in 45 minutes, but the recipe was right, soooo, wasn’t quite ready with the extras. there’s a little bit of prep work, salads done, chicken grilled, butter melted, broth for steamers. i would not recommend starting the “bake” and then playing bacci. all that other petty stuff wasn’t done. once the “bake” is started, it’s crunch time to get everything out. once it’s done, it’s time to eat. we decided to steam a few lbs of steamers so we would have the broth, the butter could be drawn before hand, i would have the tables set. Al as in Alfonso Sewall the elder, suggested buying nets and steaming the corn and clams together, so each person would take a lobster, a bag, and a packet of potatoes. Also, i would make the potato packets with peppers, onions, etc., this recipe just called for plain potatoes. When it’s done, we just dumped it in the wheelbarrow and then gathered around to take what we wanted, there my be a classier way to do this.  All in all, a definite winner with a bit of tweaking.

the bake

recipe:

15 pounds of seaweed (your fish person can get you some)

16 (1 1/2 pound) lobsters*

16 ears corn, shucked

5 pounds red potatoes, parboiled halfway in salted water

10 pounds large clams

1 (750 ml) bottle white wine

2 yards wet burlap

Special equipment: #3 galvanized washtub (easy to find at a local hardware store)

Start the fire 1 hour in advance, making sure the coals are white hot before you begin cooking.

Spread 1/2 of the seaweed on the bottom of the tub to protect the lobsters from burning. Place lobsters on top of seaweed. Place the corn on top of the lobster, and the potatoes on top of the corn. Arrange the raw clams on top of the vegetables and top with the remaining seaweed. Pour the wine into the tub. Place the wet burlap over the food and tuck the edges into the tub to retain the steam inside.

Place the tub on top of the coals. Every 15 minutes, moisten the burlap with water. Cook for about 45 minutes.

Serve the lobster bake strewn out on newspapers, with melted butter, piles of coarse sea salt, and favorite spices as condiments.

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