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.

Where to eat Maine Steamed Clams (Steamers) in Portland

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

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

    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.

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  • Fore Street

    Order Roasted Maine mussels in almond, garlic and vermouth from the wood oven.

    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.

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  • Scales

    Order The whole local fish of the day, plus a half dozen Glidden Point oysters.

    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.

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  • Boone's Fish House + Oyster Room

    Order The Maine lobster roll on a New England top-split bun, plus a cup of fish chowder.

    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.

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Make it at home

Serves 42 hr 15 minEasy

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.

Editor tip. 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.

Common allergens: Shellfish, Dairy, Sulphites.