History

Soft-shell clams (Mya arenaria), called steamers in Maine, have been harvested from the mudflats of Casco Bay, Penobscot Bay and the Damariscotta estuary for centuries. The Wabanaki peoples relied on them as a primary protein well before European contact, leaving the great shell heaps that line the Maine coast. The 19th-century lobster-and-clam shore-dinner codified the modern serving format: a bucket of steamers, a melted-butter ramekin for dipping and a cup of broth to rinse grit. Portland's J's Oyster and The Port Hole keep the canonical down-east bucket; Eventide and Scales run more refined plated versions.

Common allergens: Shellfish, Dairy, Sulphites

Make it at home

Yield 4Hands-on 15 minTotal 2 hr 15 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 2kg live Maine soft-shell clams (steamers); ensure shells are tightly closed (or close when tapped). Discard any open clams that do not close.
  • 200g table salt for purging
  • 200ml dry white wine (a crisp Vermentino or Sauvignon Blanc)
  • 4 garlic cloves, smashed
  • 1 small yellow onion, sliced
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp coarsely cracked black peppercorns
  • 200g unsalted butter (divided)
  • 1 lemon, halved
  • Small bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
  • Pinch of cayenne, optional
  • To serve: 1 lemon cut into wedges, crusty Maine sourdough bread

Method

  1. Purge the clams: place them in a large bowl, cover with cold water salted at 200g per litre (mimicking sea water). Sprinkle a tablespoon of cornmeal on top if you have it; this encourages the clams to spit out grit. Refrigerate 2 hours, then drain.
  2. Rinse the clams under cold running water and tap each to confirm it closes if open; discard any that do not.
  3. Combine the white wine, garlic, sliced onion, thyme, bay leaves, peppercorns and 100g butter in a wide deep pot. Bring to a low boil over high heat.
  4. Add the steamers in a single layer (work in two batches if your pot is small). Cover tightly and steam 5 to 7 minutes, shaking the pot once or twice, until the shells have all opened. Discard any that stay closed.
  5. While the clams steam, melt the remaining 100g butter in a small saucepan until just foaming; keep warm. Squeeze in a halved lemon and stir.
  6. Lift the cooked steamers into 4 large serving bowls or a single big bucket; strain the broth through a fine mesh sieve into a clean pot (this removes any sediment from the bottom), then divide into 4 small mugs or ramekins.
  7. Plate each portion: bucket of steamers in the centre, mug of broth and ramekin of melted lemon butter alongside. Sprinkle the clams with chopped parsley and an optional pinch of cayenne.
  8. To eat: peel back the dark membrane from each clam's siphon (the longneck), pinch the meat out, swish in the broth cup to rinse grit, dip in melted butter, eat. Repeat. Serve crusty bread for the final broth-mopping.

Tip from the editors. The purge step is non-negotiable; unpurged steamers carry sand. The broth cup is also structural; the second cleansing in fresh broth removes any final grit before the butter dip.

Where to eat maine steamed clams (steamers)

Maine Steamed Clams (Steamers) in Portland

Boone's Fish House + Oyster Room ★ 4.0

$$$ New England SeafoodOld Port

Boone's Fish House on Custom House Wharf reopened 2014 on the 1898 Boone's site from the Harding Lee Smith group, with lobster rolls, halibut and chowder.

OrderThe Maine lobster roll on a New England top-split bun, plus fish chowder.

TipDaily lunch and dinner; the deck fills early summer evenings.

Directions Book

Eventide Oyster Co ★ 4.9

$$$ SeafoodIndia Street

Eventide Oyster Co on Middle Street opened 2012 from Big Tree Hospitality, rebuilding the Maine oyster bar around a brown-butter lobster roll on a bao.

OrderThe brown butter lobster roll on a Bao bun, plus a dozen oysters from the granite bar.

TipWalk-up only for the bar; tables open online via Resy 30 days ahead.

Directions Book

Fore Street ★ 4.8

$$$$ Tasting $80 to $130 plated, no fixed tastingNew AmericanChef Frederic Eliot

Fore Street has been Portland's flagship wood-fired dining room since 1996, with a wood-burning oven, open hearth and turning spit at the kitchen's heart.

BookUp to 2 months online; same-day walk-ins fill the bar ahead

Directions Book

Scales ★ 4.5

$$$ New England SeafoodOld Port

Scales on Maine Wharf, since March 2016 from Sam Hayward, Dana Street and Victor Leon (the Fore Street team), with whole local fish and a raw bar.

OrderThe Maine lobster roll, then a half dozen Glidden Point oysters.

TipLunch from 11:30, dinner from 17:00. Resy reservations recommended; the bar takes walk-ins.

Directions Book

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