What Does It Take to Clambake At Home
When you think of clambakes, what do you picture? Digging a hole in the ground, throwing in some stones and starting a fire? While that’s the traditional New England clambake technique—and surely a fun one if you happen to be by the beach—the beautiful thing about clambakes is you can have them in your own backyard. All you need are a few supplies, a grill and a big appetite.
How to Throw a Backyard Clambake
Clambakes present a delicious paradox. On the one hand, you’re making a smorgasbord of food. On the other, there are minimal supplies and instructions required. Just order the following for pickup or delivery or grab them at your local Giant Eagle.
Naturally, you’re going to include clams, but those shelled delicacies are just the start. You can add any kind of seafood you want to your clambake menu.
Mussels,
lobster and
crab are some of our favorites. After all, half the fun of clambakes is cracking open the shells. Of course it doesn’t hurt that they taste great too.
Picking Fresh Seafood
We pride ourselves on serving the very best, freshest seafood you can find. Still, when doing your shopping, there are a few seafood-picking tips to keep in mind.
Clams - Shells should be closed tight. If they’re not, try to gently tap them shut. If they close easily they’re still fresh and ready to be cooked.
Lobster - Live lobster can’t be beat for clambake authenticity, but if you opt for frozen, make sure the meat is pure white in color.
Fish - Fresh fish will be firm. Obviously it will have a somewhat fishy smell, but check to make sure it doesn’t smell overly fishy.
Always remember, our expert in-store Seafood Team is standing by to answer any questions and to help you select the best seafood for your clambake.
Don’t Stop at Seafood
Starches like potatoes and corn on the cob are great additions to any clam bake. Maybe it’s because, like the seafood you’re making them with, they’re even better when swimming in a butter. Just boil the potatoes ahead of time so they’re nice and tender before you add them to the foil.
If you want to have some meat on the menu, sausage is an excellent selection. Compared to other proteins, it can cook slowly in your foil pack and it’s difficult to over or undercook.
A Grilled Clambake Is a Great Clambake
Once you have your menu drawn up, the next step is to get ready to cook it. Clambake on the grill is as simple as adding everything to your aluminum pan, or forming a packet out of foil, and placing it on the grill. Cook it low and slow so all the flavors simmer together. When the clams start to open, your food should be ready. As always, check the internal temperature where possible to be certain.
Clambake Condiments and Accoutrements
Everyone loves a ramekin of melted butter with their lobster. Hot sauce to drizzle on your clams and oysters is not to be missed. And a squeeze of lemon goes with almost any seafood. So don’t forget to stock up. Plus, last but certainly not least, fresh-baked bread is a must with just about any meal.
Think About Drinks
For an end-of-summer event like a clam bake, cool refreshments are always in order. Serve summer essentials like iced tea and lemonade, and have an arsenal of alcoholic options on hand to suit everyone’s taste and to complement the various seafood and meats that make up your meal. Use our helpful seafood, wine and beer pairing guide to make perfect matches.
Managing the Mess
Cracking open shells, dipping lobster in butter and passing all those irresistible dishes back and forth leads to a table you’d rather swab the deck than clean. To make clean up easy, cover your table in newspaper or brown packing paper then crumple it all together and throw it away. Your guests won’t care what the tablecloth is made of. In fact, they’ll relish the opportunity to be as messy as they want.
Clambake Curbside-Style
To make prepping for your clambake party even easier, order everything online or in the Giant Eagle app for pickup or delivery.
