Rhode Island Clambake in a Bowl

Name: Rhode Island Clambake in a Bowl
Yield: makes 6 servings
Ingredients: 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter; 1 medium onion, chopped; 1 pound smoked sausage, mild or spicy, quartered and cut into small chunks; 3 medium red potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (3 to 4 cups); 2 cups dry white wine; 2 cups water or 1 cup clam juice and 1 cup water; One 16-ounce package frozen corn, thawed; Kosher salt; 4 dozen cherrystone clams, rinsed and soaked in ice water; Chopped fresh parsley; Lemon slices, hot pepper sauce, and warm French bread

January 24, 2012

This stovetop stew is a loose interpretation of the three-day beachside fest known as the New England clambake, that picture-perfect steaming seaweed pit immortalized each August by every shiny food magazine. How do all those beautiful people stay so crisp and clean after digging a sand pit and hauling rocks? One summer, on the beach in Charlestown, Rhode Island, we were actually asked by the crew of a popular food television program to stay out of camera range until they finished a shoot. Our cluttered site didn’t convey casual flawlessness. Rhode Island Clambake in a Bowl is not only less work, it’s a much cheaper cheater because we’re skipping the lobster. Instead of a plate of steamed seafood with a little piece of corn on the cob, a sausage link, and a stray potato, this stew is meant to be served in bowls, with bread for sopping up the clam broth.

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