Tagged: Portuguese seafood

Summer party time is here and nothing beats a Portuguese style, New England Lobster Bake! Our family plans 2 bakes a year, with one on Father’s Day!

Don’t worry, you don’t need to bring Dad and dig a hole on the beach for this easy recipe!

Portuguese Chourica is a traditional ingredient in the New England Clam Bake, since the Portuguese fishermen who immigrated to the area began incorporating it into the recipe many years ago. Some people also add raw eggs in the shell to the bake. Once the eggs are cooked, the bake is done.

It’s easy to prepare because all you have to do is put everything in one pot and let it cook on the grill, or even on the stove top!

No plates, needed! Just poor everything onto clean newspapers on top of your picnic table and enjoy!

Easy clean up, just wrap up the newspaper with shells and pop them in the trash!

*Note: All shellfish and vegetables in this recipe are uncooked.

Don’t throw out the leftovers! Make Seafood Chowder. Here’s the recipe!

Serves 8-12 

Ingredients:

8 lobsters 1 1/4 pound average (1 or 1/2 per person)

4 lbs steamer clams

2 lbs mussels

2 lbs shrimp

2 chourico sausages (cut into 2 inch pieces)

1 stick of butter or margarine

8 shucked ears of corn

1 large onion cut into fourths

8 – 12 small red potatoes (1 to 2 per person)

1 teaspoon salt (Only if you do not use seaweed)

2 cups Vinho Verde (enough to have 2 inches of liquid in pot)

*Optional – 4 cups or 2 large handfuls of seaweed (you will find it FREE at the store where you buy the lobsters. They will pack your lobsters in it.)

*Optional – 8 raw eggs

Condiments:

Lemon wedges

Melted Butter

1 large steamer pot or a large turkey roaster pan with lid *Note:  (you can use 2 large aluminum disposable roasting pans using 1 for cooking and 1 for the lid. This will make it easy clean up!)

Preparation:

Step 1

Wash potatoes, rinse the seaweed and set aside. Wash and clean the mussels and clams. Remove the elastic from lobster claws.

Step 2

Place 1/2 of the seaweed in bottom of the pan. Next , layer the ingredients as follows; Lobster, Onion, Potatoes, Corn, (eggs optional) Chourico, Clams, Mussels and Shrimp last.

Add the wine. Cut up the margarine into a few pieces and place on top of the seafood. Top with the remaining seaweed. Cover. (The bake cooks from bottom up so be sure to place the items that need longer cooking time on the bottom.)

Step 3

Cook for 30 -45 minutes on high heat on grill or stove top. When the potatoes are cooked, the lobster bake is ready to eat!

Save some broth to serve in bowls for cleaning the steamers. Save any leftovers to make seafood chowder!

*Note: How to tell a lobster is cooked

• The meat inside the lobster will be firm, white and opaque. The tomalley, which fills much of the body cavity will be greenish-yellow.
• The roe in female lobsters will be bright orange-red and firm. If it is a dark greenish-black, with an oily tar-like consistency, the lobster is under cooked.

Be sure to have lots of Vinho Verde, since it’s the perfect wine for seafood! Go all out and make fresh Pao Milho to serve with the bake!