Maine Off Shore Dinner

Today marks the one year anniversary of my very first post on The Maine Harvest Table and to celebrate this occasion, I felt it was important to share a dish that is authentically Maine.  The shore dinner is about as authentic of a dish one might experience in Maine and without a doubt the most delicious. The name of the dish not only describes where it is prepared and enjoyed but also where the main ingredients are harvested.  If you are ever lucky enough to enjoy an authentic Maine Shore Dinner, you will literally find yourself on one of the shores along Maine's beautiful coast eating seafood that has just been pulled from the ocean and dug out of the very sandy beach you are sitting on.  

My paternal grandmother and her siblings grew up in Prospect Harbor; which is a small town in Down East Maine.  Of the many stories my grandmother told me about her life growing up Down East, the one that I love the most is of her and her friends trapping lobsters, digging for clams and preparing their very own feast to enjoy right outside of their little shack along the shore of Prospect Harbor.  The idea of being able to catch, cook and eat the food you have just harvested right outside of your own home was simply amazing to me.  As I grew older, I understood that my grandmother's story was not unlike that of most people growing up Down East or on any other shoreline in Maine.  While this lifestyle is not uncommon amongst Mainers, it is uniquely Maine,  past, present and future.  It is the history of our people that we will continue to repeat and  be forever proud of!

Mainers are well known for the ability to overcome, improvise and adapt to whatever life throws our way.  That said, while it has been my intention to do a blog post about an authentic Maine Shore dinner, unfortunately I do not live Down East or on any other shoreline.  And while I do live fairly close to a number of southern Maine beaches, it is the middle of winter and I must admit that I am not willing to brave the bitter cold of the ocean air for this post.  I have managed to do the next best thing in creating what I have decided to call the Maine off shore dinner.  It is a really simple and quick preparation for a meal that is certain to please both Mainers and visitors of Maine alike. 

Here are the ingredients

Here we have seaweed fresh out of Casco Bay, mahogany clams (aka quahogs) also from Casco Bay, minced garlic, fresh lemons, Kate's Creamery real butter, chorizo sausage, new red potatoes, fresh corn, Old Bay seasoning, Allagash White Beer, Bar Harbor Lobster Stock, salt, pepper and last but not least, two soft shell Maine lobsters.  We have also decided to add fresh shrimp that are unfortunately not from Maine and also not necessarily an ingredient that you would find in a Maine shore dinner, but we were craving shrimp so we added them to the dish.  Feel free to add any other fresh seafood to the dish that you desire.  

The Preparation

The preparation of this dish is quite simple.  In a large pot, add the Allagash White Beer, Bar Harbor Lobster stock, about a cup of water, minced garlic, Old Bay Seasoning, two whole fresh lemons, a whole stick of Kate's Creamery (or any other) real butter, new red potatoes, fresh corn and salt and pepper to taste.  Bring all of these ingredients to a boil for about 5 minutes.

After 5 minutes, cover the ingredients with the seaweed and then place the lobster and chorizo sausage on top.  Reduce to medium heat and steam the lobsters for 5 minutes.  After 5 minutes, add the mahogany clams and the shrimp. Cover and steam for another 6 minutes or until the lobsters are completely cooked and all of the clams have opened up.  If not all of the clams have opened in 6 or 7 minutes, remove the lobsters and shrimp from the pot and cover to continue to steam the clams until they are done.  Then you are ready to plate.

To serve, remove the lobsters, clams, shrimp and chorizo from the pot.  Then remove the seaweed and spread it out onto a large serving platter.  Arrange the lobsters, clams, shrimp and sausage on top of the seaweed and then the potatoes, corn and lemons around the shell fish.  Serve with two small bowls of both the liquid from the pot and some melted butter on the side.

Whenever possible, you should experience this meal sitting on one of the many beaches along Maine's beautiful coast! If you do not live in Maine, or even if you do, and it is not possible to get to the shore, you can enjoy this meal the way I have prepared here in any setting that you are in at any time! 

Enjoy!