Kitchen Clambake!

Sammy and Charlie pre-clambake


Sammy playing hostess to clambake guest Bodhi Stark

Last night we had a kitchen clambake! I was inspired when I saw that the new Safeway was offering king crab legs at $10 a lb. So we invited over some friends and had a summer clambake that was such a hit that I would like to make it a summer tradition in the Malley house! We followed the barefoot contessa's recipe with a few alterations and it was delicious easy and fun.

Kitchen Clambake
3 c chopped onion
1-2 chopped shallots
1/4 c olive oil
1 1/2 lbs of red potatoes
corn on the cob
1 T kosher salt
an assortment of herbs from my garden - thyme, oregano, chives, parsley, dill
1 lb clams
1 lb scallops
6 king crab legs!
BF Contessa's actually calls for: 2 dozen littleneck clams, mussels, shrimp and lobster, but I had to buy what was on sale...
2 c of dry white wine

saute the onions & shallots in a heavy-bottom 16-20 quart stockpot on medium for about 15 minutes (I added garlic and herbs just because I love garlic and herbs). Layer the ingredients over the onions: potatoes, corn, salt and pepper, clams, scallops, crab legs and dump in the wine. Cover and cook over med-high until the steam just begins to escape (about 15 minutes). Lower to medium and cook for another 15 and the clambake should be done. Test the potatoes to be sure. Put it all in a big bowl and then serve it to everybody in bowls because the broth is delicious. Make sure you have some bread for people to dip in the broth!