Clam-bake.
FOR A PARTY OF FROM TEN TO TWENTY PERSONS.—First, make an oven of flat
stones placed together in the form of a square, on a flat surface about
two and a half feet square; around the edge of these, place other
stones to form a bin. Fill this oven with small kindlings, such as
can be gathered on the beach. On these, pile a few armfuls of larger
sticks, crosswise, so that the top can be well covered with stones
about the size of one’s two hands. Start the fire, and allow it to burn
down until the stones, which were on top of the wood, settle into the
oven. Clean out all the cinders with a poker or stick; for, if allowed
to remain, the smoke from them will spoil the bake. This must be done
very quickly, that the oven may not cool Cover the oven with fresh
seaweed about an inch and one-half thick. On the seaweed, spread the
clams so the vegetables, &c., may be placed on top of them: then, in
order, put on onions, sweet or Irish potatoes, or both, green corn,
then the (blue or cod) fish, and a live lobster, if one can be had; if
not, a boiled one, which will be very nice warmed up in this way.
Every thing to be used should be close at hand, to be put on the oven
rapidly while it is very hot. Cover the whole bake with a piece of
cheap cotton cloth, to keep out dirt; then cover all with seaweed until
no steam escapes. Bake thirty-five minutes. Remove the covering from
one corner at a time only,—so that the rest may keep hot,—and all hands
fall to, and help themselves. It is nice eaten with drawn butter or
vinegar and pepper.
TO PREPARE THE FISH, VEGETABLES, &C.—A party of ten to twenty will
require a bushel of clams, which should be washed in two or more waters
(_fresh water_; salt water will not remove the fine sand); have ready,
in a basket close at hand, as soon as the oven is hot. Clean the fish
nicely, split the backs, season with salt and white pepper, and wrap
in clean cloth. Peel onions, wash the potatoes clean, and cut the ends
off; husk the corn, leaving the inner layer on to keep it clean.
Clam Chowder.
When intending to have clams in any form, get them in the shell if
possible, the day before. Place them in a tub, and cover with clean
water, and throw into this about a quart of Indian meal. This fattens
them. When ready to use the clams, wash them thoroughly, then cover
them with _boiling_ water, and let them stand ten minutes, when they
will open easily. Take them from the shell, cut off the black heads,
and put the bodies of the clams in a clean dish. Strain the water in
which they were scalded into the kettle in which you intend to cook
your chowder. To one peck of clams allow three quarts of water. Let
the water come to a boil, then thicken with half a cup flour which has
been mixed with cold water, season with pepper and salt. Add the clams
and a tablespoonful of butter; let it boil ten minutes. A few minutes
before dishing, drop in three or four broken crackers.
Clam Chowder, No. 2.
For one peck of clams take six good-sized potatoes, pared and sliced
thin, half an onion cut into pieces an inch square. Fry quarter of a
pound of pork to a nice brown; place the pork and gravy, the potatoes
and onions, in your kettle. Shake over the whole one tablespoonful of
salt, two teaspoonfuls of pepper, and half a cup of flour. Strain over
this four quarts of the water with which you scalded the clams. Place
on the fire, and boil fifteen minutes, then add the clams and four
split crackers; boil ten minutes longer, and serve.
Clam Boil.
Fill the pot with clams (which have been washed in a number of waters
to remove all the sand); add hot water enough to get up a good steam,
and boil until the shells begin to open; then serve.
Clam Fritters.
One egg, one pint of prepared flour, three-fourths of a pint of milk.
Beat egg light. Stir milk into flour, then egg. Cut black heads from
clams, mix with both, and fry in hot fat.
Scalloped Oysters.
Put a layer of oysters in an oval dish, and dredge in a little salt,
pepper, and butter; then a layer of rolled cracker, and another of
oysters; dredge the oysters as before, and cover with cracker; over
the cracker grate a little nutmeg, and lay on small pieces of butter.
Bake twenty minutes in a quick oven; add a glass of Madeira wine if
you choose. Allow four crackers, two spoonfuls of butter, and one
teaspoonful of pepper to one quart of oysters. Fill the dish to within
an inch of the top.
Fried Oysters.
Drain the oysters on a sieve; roll them in cracker crumbs, and fry in
_boiling_ lard a light brown. Serve on brown-bread toast. When you
desire them fried in batter, make one as for apple fritters, and fry in
boiling lard. Have the dishes very hot.
Broiled Oysters.
Prepare in crumbs as for frying, and broil a light brown. Examine
oysters carefully to see that there are not pieces of shell among them.
Some oysters need more salt than others.
Oyster Stew.
Drain all the liquor from the oysters; put it into a porcelain kettle,
and let it come to a boil; then skim off all the scum. Now turn in the
milk, which you have let come to a boil in hot water. (Allow one quart
of milk to one pint of oysters.) Stir in also one spoonful of butter or
more, salt and pepper to taste. Now put in the oysters, let them boil
up once, and serve with a dish of oyster crackers.
Oyster Soup.
Wash one quart of oysters, if they are solid, in one quart of cold
water; if not, one pint of water; drain the water through a cullender
into the soup-kettle; set the kettle on the fire, and when the liquor
comes to a boil, skim it; then add one quart of rich new milk; just
before it comes to a boil, turn in the oysters, and thicken with two
spoonfuls of cornstarch wet with milk; then stir in half a cup of
butter, and season with pepper and salt. Let this boil up once, and
serve immediately. Be very careful that they do not burn. A safe way is
to boil the milk in a basin, which is set into another of water, and
then turn it on the oysters just before removing it from the fire.
Broiled Lobster.
Drop the live lobster into _boiling_ water, and boil three minutes.
Take up, drain, and crack the shell, but do not take out the meat. Lay
on the gridiron, and boil slowly half an hour.
Serve in the shell.
To Boil Lobster.
Be sure that the lobster is living; if not, it is not fit for use. Have
a kettle of _boiling_ water; into this drop the lobster, and boil until
the shell turns red. This takes about a half-hour. Take up; and when
cold it is fit to eat.
Stewed Lobster.
Take out all the meat from the shell. Chop it, but not fine. Put into a
basin with a little salt, pepper, butter, and half a cup of water to a
small lobster. Stew about ten minutes.
Curried Lobster.
Prepare the lobster as for stew; when it comes to a boil, add a mixture
of a heaping tablespoonful of flour, and half a teaspoonful of Indian
curry mixed with cold water. Let this boil eight minutes, then serve.
Lobster Salad.
Lobster salad is made the same as chicken, using lobster instead of
chicken, and lettuce instead of celery.