Soft-shell longneck Maine clams steamed in their own briny liquor with white wine, butter and garlic, served in a bucket with a small pot of melted butter, a cup of broth for rinsing and a wedge of lemon.
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.
4 editor picks for Maine Steamed Clams (Steamers) in Portland, ranked by editorial score. All Portland signature dishes · Maine Steamed Clams (Steamers) across every city.
Eventide Oyster Co ★ 4.9
india-street · 86 Middle Street, Portland, ME 04101
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.
Fore Street ★ 4.8
old-port · 288 Fore Street, Portland, ME 04101
Fore Street opened 1996 in a converted Old Port warehouse and built modern New England cooking around a wood oven, open hearth and turning spit.
Scales ★ 4.5
old-port · 68 Commercial Street, Portland, ME 04101
Scales on Maine Wharf opened March 2016 from Sam Hayward, Dana Street and Victor Leon (the Fore Street team) with whole local fish, oysters and a raw bar.
Boone's Fish House + Oyster Room ★ 4.3
old-port · 6 Custom House Wharf, Portland, ME 04101
Boone's Fish House on Custom House Wharf reopened 2014 on the site of the 1898 original, with Maine lobster rolls, halibut and fish chowder on the deck.