A Kitchen Clambake (minus the clams)

By now y’all know me well enough to know just how much I love Ina Garten (aka the Barefoot Contessa).  I love her. I love her recipes. I love her house. And I secretly wish I could quit my day job (which I do actually enjoy) and become a self-taught cook/entrepreneur/store owner just like her.  While this is an unlikely scenario, I can learn to entertain like her. If you are familiar with her show, she almost always cooks some elegant yet homey meal for friends or her husband, Jeffrey. (Side note: there is something about Jeffrey that reminds me of Jason…maybe it’s because he is always so happy to eat Ina’s food and he always acts like whatever she makes on that particular day is THE BEST THING HE’S EVER EATEN and Jason does that with pretty much everything I make too.) On one particular show, she made a Kitchen Clambake where she filled a huge stockpot full of all kinds of seafood (mussels, shrimp, lobster, etc.), corn on the cob, potatoes and steamed it in white wine and stock. And she served it with crusty bread (to sop up the sauce) on a long table covered in newspaper. It looked awesome.  I’ve been waiting since the day I first saw that episode (probably several years ago now) to make that meal and serve it a large group of close friends.

Tonight… was not that night. (Sorry, if I got your hopes up there for a second.)

Instead I made a scaled down version of the kitchen clambake courtesy of Everyday Food. In this version, you make individual foil packets and fill them with fish, shrimp, sliced new potatoes, and corn on the cob, and cook it on the grill (or in our case in the oven) with a composite butter of dill and garlic. It wasn’t the showstopper of my dreams, but served with some lemon and dill asparagus, it was a nice weeknight meal for two. And as predicted, Jason thought it was one of the best meals I’ve ever made. Who needs more than that?!

New England Seafood Bake
Adapted from Everyday Food

Ingredients:
2 TBL butter, room temperature
2 TBL finely chopped fresh dill, plus more for the asparagus if you decide to make that as a side
1 small garlic clove, minced
Salt and pepper
2-3 red new potatoes (depending on size), scrubbed and thinly sliced
1 tilapia fillet, cut into two equal pieces
¼ lb of frozen uncooked shrimp, thawed
1 ear of corn, cut in half
½ lemon, thinly sliced (reserve the other half for the asparagus if you are making)
White wine (optional)

1.Preheat oven to 425. In a small bowl, combine butter, dill and garlic. Season with salt and pepper.
2.Tear off two large pieces of aluminum foil. Divide ingredients evenly between the two pieces of foil and assemble packets. Start by arranging potatoes in a single layer on one-half of the foil. Top with tilapia, then shrimp. Place ½ corn on one side. Season with salt and pepper. Add a dollop or two of the butter and top with two lemon slices. Splash the top with a tablespoon or so of white wine if using. Fold foil over ingredients and crimp edges tightly to seal. Place on baking pan.
3.Bake at 425 for 15 minutes or so until potatoes are tender (note: I found the potatoes to still be a little al dente for my taste—next time I might consider par-boiling the potatoes or even sticking the slices in the microwave to give them a heads start on the rest of the ingredients which don’t require as much time to cook through).  Remove from oven, slit packets open and serve. If desired, serve was roasted asparagus with lemon and dill (see below).

To make asparagus—trim woody ends of asparagus. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and place on a baking sheet. Cook at 425 alongside the seafood packets. Squeeze half a lemon, top with reserved dill and serve.

I would be remiss if I discussed the joys of cooking with seafood and did not say something about the oil spill along the Gulf Coast that is threatening our nation’s food supply as well as the livelihood of American fisherman for years (and maybe even decades) to come (not to mention the environmental ramifications). The New York Times had a sobering article about the impact this will have not only on those living and working on the Gulf Coast but for those of us who enjoy the fruits of their labor on a regular basis.  Definitely worth a look if you have a free minute.