Want to hold a lobster boil that would make a true Mainah proud? Luckily, you don’t need to be thigh-deep in a snowbank on the rocky coast to pull off a Maine-style feast. Our favorite brewer/cook Sean prepared a truly memorable lobster boil with only a large pot and normal-sized grill. As we found, with some pretty minimal prep and the right ingredients, you can boil crustaceans and corn with the best of them.
Here’s what you’ll need for a meal that serves two (hungry people):
MAIN INGREDIENTS
- 8 small potatoes
- 13 ounces kielbasa cut to desired size (we prefer 1-2 inch slices)
- 2 ears corn, cut into thirds
- 3 pounds clams (steamers or little necks suggested)
- Two 1.5 lb lobsters
BOILING LIQUID INGREDIENTS
- Old Bay
- Resurgam Hot Sauce (or your hot sauce of choice)
- Thyme
- Parsley
- Bay Leaf (2)
- Lemon
- 12 oz. beer – We used Allagash White
- Salt
- Pepper
PREPARATION:
In a large stockpot, add all of your “boiling liquid” ingredients. The key here is to spice your liquid fairly heavily—more than if it was going to be a broth for a soup. As the ingredients boil, they’ll soak up more flavor if your boiling liquid has some punch to it.
Once your liquid is boiling, the order in which you add your ingredients is key. The goal is to have everything in the boil finish at once. So first, add potatoes, kielbasa, and corn. Soon after that, (say a couple minutes) add your lobster. In the last five-ish minutes of the boil add your clams. Make sure to keep the pot covered at all times.
After around 17-20 minutes everything should be ready. The meat inside the lobster’s leg should be white and opaque (pull one off to see). If the lobster meat is translucent and jiggly, it needs some more time. Clams should also open naturally (discard any that are still shut).
Once everything is cooked, remove all solid ingredients and place in a serving dish. You can now dilute your cooking liquid to taste, for dipping if desired. Serve your lobster with melted butter and a lemon wedge for tradition (and taste, of course). Congratulations, your Maine-approved meal is ready for chowing.
P.S.
You may have also noticed oysters on our table. While not “classic” Lobster boil fare, we grilled them up a mix of Glidden Point and John’s River oysters and added some compound butter—made from 2 parts blanched ramps to 1 part butter (with some salt and lemon zest to taste). They were also pretty amazing with Resurgam Hot Sauce, made by another talented Allagash brewer named Hank.
