A New England style clambake allows the local community to come together and enjoy fresh seafood in quantity, supplemented by fresh farm produce. A New England Clambake is typically held on national holidays or other festive occasions all up and down the coast of the Eastern Seaboard.

A typical New England Clambake recipe begins with gathering seaweed at the shoreline; seaweed is an important adjunct to cooking the food. To keep the seaweed fresh, it is necessary to have a container large enough to hold both the seaweed and a fair amount of sea water. Also important are several round medium-sized stones, or sometimes cannon balls, which are heated in the fire and used to re-radiate heat during the cooking process.

In conclusion, as is the case with any situation where you are using steam to prepare food, you will need to enclose everything under a covering of some sort. This allows the energy to spread evenly, and thoroughly cook everything under the cover. In many cases, as tarp or several potato sacks doused in ocean water are used. This is because such surfaces are good at keeping heat within, yet letting air through.

When you cook using steam, it causes the juices of each individual ingredient to mingle as they collectively heat. What results is a grouping of tastes which cannot be achieved through any other means. It is important to consider the preparation time for each ingredient when placing them within the pit. Fish usually requires the least amount of heat, followed by shrimp, then squid which takes the most. Careful placement allows the steam to prepare everything, without overdoing any single ingredient.

It is best to use fresh seafood. This will give you the most appetizing bake. A New England Clambake and a Cape Cod Clambake are pretty similar. You will use the same seafood and vegetables. The two clambakes also have the same cooking methods.

Many believe that there is nothing tastier than a clambake and whilst I may argue about people's tastes, I cannot disagree with a clambake being amongst the greatest dishes a seafood lover will ever experience.

There's nothing like a New England Clambake for cooking Fresh Seafood, including lobster, crab, mussels, clams, and quahogs. The classic recipe for a clambake starts with gathering seaweed along the shore; it's a vital ingredient for helping to prepare the food. You will need a container large enough to hold the seaweed and a goodly amount of seawater. You will also need several round stones, medium in size, to be heated in the pit. The methods used for preparing the Cape Cod Clambake are the same as those used to prepare that made in New England.