Some reviewers call clam shacks “dives”, and I’m against it. The fare is market-based and fresh; the menus classic and unpretentious; the clams hyper-local; the lobster rolls chunky and only lightly dressed. The emotional fulfillment of an unchanged menu decade after decade in a land of sun and surf is more treasure than an ordinary dive can offer (even my very favorites.) Clam shacks, often next to beach shops selling buckets and floaties, have a childhood/cuisine connection. They promise and deliver timelessness. They are open-air jewels on the generous neckline of Cape Cod’s National Seashore.
The Dunes
I’m not shy about my affection for the sand dunes, either. Let’s look at their character. They face existential erosion, tourist trample, and a sea of garbage, and yet they’re still there with their patches of shivery seagrass. They are first responders to hurricane winds and the everyday push and pull of the tides. For this, the sun rewards their facades with an extra ray of light. What else could explain their luminosity?
Dunes harbor birds and turtles – the endangered protecting the endangered.
Luminosity in Truro, Massachusetts
They remind me to get grounded and grateful, especially on days when I’m feeling drifty. Since covid interrupted an already-tumultuous moment in my life, my research on clam shacks and the dunes around them stretched over two late-summer hangs, each weeks long, replete with fried fisherman’s platters; clam chowder; and lobster rolls – sweet, briny, and deep. I suspect many of my fellow clamshackers got blown in by some secret storm demanding nostalgia, satiety, and salty treasures of the sea. Culinary therapy 101.
Arnold’s in Eastham, MA
Legal Seafoods built an empire on humble clam shack cuisine. What a good idea!
A Few Favorite Clam and Lobster Stops – Lower and Outer Cape
Just the sight of Captain Frosty’s (a clam/ice cream shack combo) transforms me into a kid, already committed to the fry-up and eyeing the chocolate/vanilla, soft-serve cone with jimmies. Other worries wan because important questions arise once you snake through the line and speak with the suntanned cherub in the shack window. “Do you want bellies or strips?” A one-of-a-kind question. For me, always, big fat bellies. Fries and coleslaw? Sure. Both ketchup and tarter sauce? It’s not wrong! Any other questions?? I can handle them.
Andre appreciates fried cod and hushpuppies at Cobie’s.
Paine’s Creek Beach on the bay side.
Accolades abound for Arnold’s Lobster and Clam Bar, and not just because it sits next to a mini-golf course. High quality, high volume, haute cuisine. My wonderful hosts at the dog-friendly and clam-shack informed Inn on Main (Chris Kennedy and Sarah Bradburn) recommended Sesuit Harbor Café as the place where the locals go. There they all were on the open marina, tolerant of us tourists and sushi-seekers, too. Had to do a few runs up to Provincetown just to continue my patronage of The Lobster Pot. It’s a P-town institution, celebrated by Anthony Bourdain in Kitchen Confidential. I stopped in there with my mom one June night in the late ’70’s. We drank clam chowder and chardonnay on barstools and somehow we had not one worry in the world that night.
Now that I’m a grown-up and a pastry chef, I really care about cones. Cobie’s (made this list as one of the best) offers an array of different soft-serve flavors (wow!), then they dip the soft-serve sugar cone into a liquid chocolate vat, pull it back up, and load it up with jimmies. For those of you who have not spent time in New England, “jimmies” are “sprinkles”. But the word “jimmies” is more playful, drips of summer, and always upholds the mystery of who the heck Jimmie might have been.
The upper Cape has so many great clam shacks, too, like Spanky’s. That whole scene needs a respectful soliloquy, as does the North Shore, (Woodman’s! The Clam Box!). Even so, my travels will always pull me back to the furthest reaches, out where the dunes keep watch.
And Don’t Forget the Oysters.
For the final blowout seafood event of the season, we went to an Island Creek Oysters farm in Cape-adjacent Duxbury, MA where the oyster farmers and winemakers united for an Outstanding in the Field outdoor dinner of sustainable, unlimited oysters (mignonette splashed out of a carafe). Free-flowing pink sparkling wine and a party bus home. A highlight of 2021.
Here’s Outstanding in the Field’s description:
“Manned by legendary oysterman CJ Husk and his cadre of expert shuckers, troughs of ice will harbor succulent oysters harvested 100 feet off the shoreline. Paired with crisp white wines and lots of bubbly, of course. And that’s just the beginning of a beautiful evening that won’t end until the sun sinks below the hills beyond the sparkling waters of Duxbury Bay. Guest Chef Alex Crabb of Boston’s Asta will prepare the evening’s meal by the ocean. Alex’s experience of seven years as executive sous chef at L’Espalier and a two-month apprenticeship at Copenhagen’s Noma inspired him to open Back Bay’s Asta in 2013, which features a minimalist tasting menu only.” Check website for a link to the upcoming documentary about the founder/artist/food advocate.
Cape Cod Clam Chowder
Ingredients
- 2 potatoes, peeled and cubed (preferably Yukon Gold)
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 large shallots, chopped
- 2 large onions, sliced
- 4 ribs of celery, sliced
- 2 ribs rhubarb, sliced (optional)
- 2 cups clam juice or fish stock
- 1 pound fresh clams
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup whole or 2% milk
- white pepper
- salt
Instructions
- In a medium saucepot, bring 3 cups of salted water to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook until soft, about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a large saucepot or dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the shallots, onions, celery, and rhubarb and saute until the vegetables are soft.
- Lightly mash the potatoes and add them to the other vegetables. Reduce the heat to low, add the clam juice, clams, cream, milk, salt and pepper. Stir occasionally and allow the soup to heat thoroughly but not boil. Season to taste. Serve hot.
- NOTE: The soup is even better with an overnight rest!