There’s nothing like the Cape in the summer; the beaches, the air, the seafood, it’s all perfect. This week’s What’s Cooking is a Cape Cod style clam bake.
A bonfire is built in our pit using a quarter quad of hard maple and oak wood over 1800 pounds of rock. The fire heats the rock to very high temperature. Well-tended, the fire will settle down to a bed of hot coals and rock. The coals and rock provide the cooking catalyst for our clambake.
This base of rocks and coals are then covered with mounds of seaweed that contains bubbles filled with saltwater. The bubbles are essential to the traditional cooking process as they provide the steam for cooking. The bubbles in the seaweed burst when heated emitting seawater that steams and seasons the food.
Lobster, clams, mussels, red potatoes and corn on the cob are layered in a manner that ensures perfect cooking times and a wonderful balance of flavoring. This food is then covered with canvas and left to bake.
After one hour of cooking, guests are invited to gather around the pit for the unveiling.