Clambake Without The Sand
Shellfish in Packages
By Mark Bittman
This is a kind of portable clambake, a dead-easy system for cooking shellfish on the grill or, when the weather cools off, in the oven. It is based on the classic method of cooking en papillote (in packages but with aluminum foil, instead of parchment paper), the packages can be placed directly on the grill. And with Asian seasonings, they become slightly exotic and really delicious.
Perhaps best of all, this technique can help those who have a phobia about grilling fish. There are no sticking or turning issues, and even judging doneness can be forgotten. The packages are done 10
minutes after they have been put on a hot covered grill. But if you still need reassurance, just cook them longer: there is so much juice in the shellfish that there is no chance that they will dry out or be
overdone. This is the flexibility of steaming without the hassle, and with an impressive, lovely presentation.
Pile the ingredients into a double layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil and wrap them up tightly. As long as the sheets of foil are big enough, this is not a problem. Apply sufficient heat, via grill or oven, and you're done. The shellfish provide enough juice to moisten a big bed of rice. Add a salad, and you have a meal.
I like to add linguiça sausage, but you could also use the softer chorizo, the more garlicky kielbasa, hot or sweet Italian sausage or even Chinese sausage. Although mussels, clams and shrimp are an
obvious and traditional combination, scallops, lobster claws or tails, or pieces of fish are all great. If you include fish, use red snapper, monkfish, sea bass, striped bass or another sturdy variety, because they won't fall apart when they are cooked through, as would sole, cod and other more delicate fish.
About the seasonings: I like to keep them fresh, so wait until the end of cooking to use some of the lime and all the soy sauce, which loses its delicacy when cooked. If you want to head in another
direction, substitute shallots for the ginger, lemon juice (or a little vinegar) for the lime and some combination of parsley, basil, thyme or rosemary for the herbs. Presto: Provence!
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Shellfish in Packages
2 pounds mussels, thoroughly cleaned and washed
2 pounds littleneck or mahogany clams, washed
16 large shrimp, peeled (and deveined if you prefer)
1 pound linguiça or any other sausage, cut into chunks, optional
2 tablespoons peeled and minced ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 lime, cut into eighths
1/4 cup each sprigs of cilantro, basil and mint
4 teaspoons soy sauce
1. Start a charcoal or gas grill that has a cover. The fire can be quite hot, but it need not be long-lived. Or put a roasting pan in the oven, and heat to 450 degrees.
2. Tear eight sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil, about one foot by one and a half feet each. Make 4 stacks of foil, each of two sheets. On the foil, pile 1/4 each of the mussels, clams, shrimp, sausage, ginger and garlic. Squeeze one piece of lime over each pile (reserve 4 pieces), and top with herbs.
3. Close packages tightly in any fashion you like. Put them on grill, and close top, or put them in roasting pan in oven. Cook for about 10 minutes.
Shellfish in Packages
By Mark Bittman
This is a kind of portable clambake, a dead-easy system for cooking shellfish on the grill or, when the weather cools off, in the oven. It is based on the classic method of cooking en papillote (in packages but with aluminum foil, instead of parchment paper), the packages can be placed directly on the grill. And with Asian seasonings, they become slightly exotic and really delicious.
Perhaps best of all, this technique can help those who have a phobia about grilling fish. There are no sticking or turning issues, and even judging doneness can be forgotten. The packages are done 10
minutes after they have been put on a hot covered grill. But if you still need reassurance, just cook them longer: there is so much juice in the shellfish that there is no chance that they will dry out or be
overdone. This is the flexibility of steaming without the hassle, and with an impressive, lovely presentation.
Pile the ingredients into a double layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil and wrap them up tightly. As long as the sheets of foil are big enough, this is not a problem. Apply sufficient heat, via grill or oven, and you're done. The shellfish provide enough juice to moisten a big bed of rice. Add a salad, and you have a meal.
I like to add linguiça sausage, but you could also use the softer chorizo, the more garlicky kielbasa, hot or sweet Italian sausage or even Chinese sausage. Although mussels, clams and shrimp are an
obvious and traditional combination, scallops, lobster claws or tails, or pieces of fish are all great. If you include fish, use red snapper, monkfish, sea bass, striped bass or another sturdy variety, because they won't fall apart when they are cooked through, as would sole, cod and other more delicate fish.
About the seasonings: I like to keep them fresh, so wait until the end of cooking to use some of the lime and all the soy sauce, which loses its delicacy when cooked. If you want to head in another
direction, substitute shallots for the ginger, lemon juice (or a little vinegar) for the lime and some combination of parsley, basil, thyme or rosemary for the herbs. Presto: Provence!
=====================
Shellfish in Packages
2 pounds mussels, thoroughly cleaned and washed
2 pounds littleneck or mahogany clams, washed
16 large shrimp, peeled (and deveined if you prefer)
1 pound linguiça or any other sausage, cut into chunks, optional
2 tablespoons peeled and minced ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 lime, cut into eighths
1/4 cup each sprigs of cilantro, basil and mint
4 teaspoons soy sauce
1. Start a charcoal or gas grill that has a cover. The fire can be quite hot, but it need not be long-lived. Or put a roasting pan in the oven, and heat to 450 degrees.
2. Tear eight sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil, about one foot by one and a half feet each. Make 4 stacks of foil, each of two sheets. On the foil, pile 1/4 each of the mussels, clams, shrimp, sausage, ginger and garlic. Squeeze one piece of lime over each pile (reserve 4 pieces), and top with herbs.
3. Close packages tightly in any fashion you like. Put them on grill, and close top, or put them in roasting pan in oven. Cook for about 10 minutes.
