johnnyd

Those pix are fantastic. This is clearly something that could have a future as Jason said. I'm off to throw a little chopped pineapple on to a ham/cheese/egg/tomato/lettuce and ricotta sanduiche. oba!

Dee-yamn! That looks good Pam! I would guess that particular Red Lobster, being far from the source, might have squeeked on that dish of yours mizD. What a rotten experience. I can't see them taking shortcuts on their signature dish, but you never know. Once I ordered a fried clam platter at a local Red Lobster wannabe around here and got served a pile of everything they fry at the place with a topping of fried clams. They were too busy to bother with a correction - and it turned out more interesting - but who's minding the store, here?!

I picked up Stephen Kings "On Writing" and I split my sides laughing. Growing up in the King household is not for the thin-skinned. Just getting into the second half and boy, have I gotta tighten things up if I'm going to finish the maritime non-fiction story I've been working on for seven years...

We always had a huge pot or two boiling away all day for lobster orders too. Every so often, when I'm feeling lazy but hungry for lobster, I'll get the lobster "dinner" at mid or low end seafood places around Portland: Lobster, steamers, corn on the cob and slaw as it is usually done perfectly and not too expensive. One time I was at J's Oyster in downtown Portland and decided to try a Lobster w/linguini dish that had a splash of Pernod that was out of this world. J's isn't the most reliable place for dinner, but this was downright excellent. Then I saw a recipe by Fore St. chef Sam Hayward that used winter lobster meat with a vanilla-bean infused cream. I can't find it right now, but the point was that the lobsters that are stuck in their pounds all winter lose some flavor and this was a way to get back some zing. I had my fishmonger steam off two 1 1/4 pounders (no extra charge) and went for it on a cold January day. Opened a new horizon of flavor for me.

Otter Creek makes a "Stovepipe Porter" that is out of this world. I helped a pal with his maple syrup operation some years back. We had a few cases of this while we waited for the sap to boil down to a certain density, then it's drawn off into sterilized jugs. We had a guitar, a mandolin and a banjo, hearty stews to take the chill away while we stood around in the snow for two straight days and nights, and lots of the "stovepipe". I'll never forget it!

It was a blistering 50 degrees up here in Maine so we had Coronas with lime to cool off.

What if they bust loose??? I can see it now: "Monster Prarie Lobster Invades Maritimes! Gene Pool Threat! Clawed Crustacean Compromised!" ...run for your lives!!!

Hey now, the Lobster Shack at Two Lights, Cape Elizabeth had their season opening last weekend and I was definitely headed out there in support of the New England Clam Crawl 2005. ...but now that you bring in the Lobster Roll, "The Shack" has consistently wowed visitors with their mostly knuckle meat roll. Not too goopy, plenty of lobster and not much else beside a bit of mayo. Needless to say, I will have to investigate! Last year, Varmint made a pilgramage to Maine and had an over-loaded Lob Roll at Red's in Wiscasset. It happens.

OK, I feared that would be the answer. So my next option (other than driving or flying to MA ) would be to find somebody in this area who imports the clams from New England. Is this a serious option (assuming I can find them), or would the loss of freshness make it not worth the trouble? Thanks for the help. ← I've seen shucked clams in my local market for sale and thought there has to be a source for folks outside of the New England area. Lo and Behold: the Ipswich Fish Market will ship a quart or more to your door. This is probably an excellent option but not cheap. They also have a "Clam Fry Kit" which could be good. If anyone springs for this, your report could help out those who are out of the fresh clam loop. (mizducky?) I have had (and made) a few crab cakes out of the Jonah Crab meat and they were really good. Browne Trading has them among other exciting products to order on-line. hungrychris: your trip to Village looks terrific. They look tough to beat!

I spent a few years in Portugal while growing up (OK I'm not finished growing up...) and thought I'd mention how magical the SINTRA is, an area where the monarchy escaped to avoid the heat of summer in centuries past. I am clueless as to places to eat up there however. Enjoy your trip!

I just remembered the Yarmouth Clam Festival, a mother of an event hosted in "downtown" Yarmouth, Maine. I manned a craft booth for a friend a couple years ago (there are plenty of them) and got a chance to check out the food options. Clams, lobsters and more are prepared by various area clubs like the Yarmouth Ski club, the Yarmouth Lacrosse Boosters... you get the idea. Some cook 'em better than others (see the "great food" page of the above web site for a complete list). It's all very festive, especially if it doesn't rain. There is a town parade (floats of fifth graders, Shiners Go-carts), a couple bands and a clam shucking contest which I threatened to compete in until I found out they were softshell clams, not hardshell clams which are easier to open. The 2005 Yarmouth Clamfest will be held July 15, 16, and 17.

Consider yourself an esteemed ambassador of our fair region in a far away outpost of a clamless netherworld... or something like that! Shall we try to accumulate enough "scorecards" to award a "Best of" designation by, say, July 4th weekend? Maybe right after since many vacationing eGer's will be in prime clam country and can participate. Any and all reviews/visits would, of course, be posted through the summer and beyond.

Okay, I'm into it now... We'll need some common criteria: Geography Byram, Connecticut to Lubec, Maine, including all islands of course. New England proper to the New York and Quebec/New Brunswick border. Main Ingredients: The classic combination is a pint/quart box/plate of fried clams with 2oz tarter. Extra points if it comes w/lemon wedge. Note the price. Service/Atmosphere/Location A mention about service is probably warranted; ambience of the place too; shall we limit candidates to proverbial "Clam Shack" status? High-end seafood restaurants sometimes include fried clams which could provide an interesting contrast. Typical Scorecard: Place: "Cap'n Splash Seafood TakeOut", Route 1, Maine. Clams: Battered. Bellies were few but succulent; strips dried out; excellent tartar sauce (they say they make it daily) Quart w/fries: $14.99 Service/Atmosphere: Cheery and fast. Shack situated on busy highway next to salt marsh. Comment: Cap'n Splash's two sons rake for clams every day but they tasted like they hadn't changed the fryolater oil lately. ... then a couple pics and anything remarkable, like how you got there or how mobbed it was (or not) and hopefully lots of opinion we at eGullet are famous for (or not!). Maybe an overall grade? B+? I can see it now: the Zagats of clam joints!

The least we can do is visit our local purveyors and weigh in here on our findings, ayuh?

Word. Clam Box gets a lot of press as the best of the best. I think Saveur covered them too. Never been but I've prepared the recipe from Village in Essex many times (except peanut oil inlieu of lard) and it is exceptionally good. Prices will start edging up for steamers as we approach tourist season. Now may be a good time to bring home a big mess of 'em and have a cook off! ahr started it...

I had to rifle through my sticky Saveur collection to find, in issue #43, that Mainers apparently prefer a battered fried clam while Massachusetts prefer a dry-coating fried clam. This issue had a recipe based on one used at the Village Restaurant in Essex that uses: 1 1/4 cup Cornflour, sifted 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 1 tsp salt They swish wholebellies in 1 1/2 cup milk w/one beaten egg, coat with the above mix, then fry for 30 seconds in 3lbs of lard heated to 375. 1 pound clams for two people. I have to say this looks tasty. I've had plenty of each style over the years but I can't remember which one wowed me the most.

... totally in that camp! I am floored by your creations and whim. That club is unbelievably lucky to have you there. Thank you for sharing your work with us Wendy!

I can top this, the ultimate disrespect for the most fabulous of fungi... I friend who lives in the woods of Maine appeared with freshly picked chanterelles, yellows and black trumpets, probably 20lbs nicely set in small pallets. Through a couple connections, I managed to sell them to a few chefs who eventually clamoured for more. The next week she dropped off more chanties AND a pallet of Matsutaki! These were destined for Japan through a contact as a sample but I ended up with a big bag of them, even after giving generous handfuls to all the sushi chefs in town. I made as much risotto and simple soup (stock, dashi, scallion, matsi) as I could and FROZE THE REST! When I defrosted them, they were a disgusting mess. They were probably worth about $125 before this heinous treatment. I now kneel on the alter of shame...

Ain't that the stuff that comes in a can? Ayuh!

I missed the show last night, another testament to my dead-on sense of organization. For those who are as interested but as addle-pated as I, here is a schedule of re-runs for the month of April '05.

The Portuguese Cataplana is a copper "clamshell" device that one steams clams, mussels or anything else that's fresh inside, in a tomato and wine sauce. Lately, I've been using local Casco Bay mussels and that fresh squid from RI and it is unbelievably good. Here is an acceptable recipe which looks easier than mine, just throw in some squid while the tomato sauce is simmering for 15min until it firms up, then apply clams or mussels.

Yup, too far. I love 'em so much I do the damnest things to get to the fresh ones. You have a great price there. Our best Maine oysters go for $1.25 each right now.

Whoa! I'm in...

FWIW, Saw fresh Rhode Island Squid for sale yesterday here in Portland for $3.99/lb and it looked pretty damned good.

Suffice to say superstitions abound in the fishing world.