Type: MAIN COURSE
Suitable for: Lobster tail, shrimp, Giant Prawns
You don’t need to be at the beach to enjoy this delicious adaptation of a New England tradition. The original involves a pit in the sand, lined with fresh seaweed and stones heated in a fire—quite a production! This “landlubber†version is much easier on the cook.
Equipment:
Large soup pot (12-quart or larger), with tight-fitting lid
Long barbecue-style fork
Long barbecue-style tongs
Large soup-plates, or large rimmed plates and a mug per person
Ingredients: (traditionally measured out “for each personâ€)
½ medium yellow onion, peeled
3-4 small red potatoes, peel on
1-2 ears corn, husked and broken in half
6-12 shrimp, in-shell, thawed
1 partially-thawed lobster tail
1 8-oz. bottle clam juice
1 cup water
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. dried tarragon or ½ Tbsp. fresh tarragon
Option: in place of the tarragon and salt, add one sheet dried seaweed, “nori†found in Japanese grocery stores (that’s one sheet per person, by the way.)
Layer ingredients in your pot beginning with onions and ending with lobster tails., but reserving shrimp. Add liquids and seasonings, “nori†sheets.
Cover pot with lid, set over high heat until liquid boils; reduce heat to medium, keep lid on to steam vegetables and lobster-tails. Check after 30 minutes, using fork to check tenderness of potatoes and corn. Add shrimp, raising heat to bring liquid back to a boil, reduce heat, steam 5-10 more minutes till shrimp is just done.
Set your table with soup spoons, knives, forks and lots of napkins. Using tongs, put shellfish and vegetables in each soup-plate, adding a little broth (or ladle broth into mugs). Provide salt and coarse-ground pepper (and more napkins!). Crusty French bread and summer-ripe tomatoes complete the feast. Dig in!
