Steam Pot Recipe

Clean and prepare seafood

Rinse clams and mussels under cold water; discard any with broken shells or that do not close when tapped. Peel and devein shrimp if not already done. Pat all seafood dry and keep chilled until ready to cook.

Prepare vegetables and sausage

Scrub potatoes and halve larger ones so pieces are roughly uniform. Cut corn into 2–3 pieces per ear. Slice andouille or smoked sausage into 1/2-inch rounds. Juice one lemon and reserve the other for serving; slice the reserved lemon into wedges.

In a large wide pot (6–8 quart) or Dutch oven set over medium heat, melt 4 tbs butter with 2 tbs olive oil. Add sliced onion and cook 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent but not browned.

Add minced garlic and sliced ginger and cook 30–60 seconds until fragrant. Stir in Old Bay seasoning, hot sauce, kosher salt and black pepper.

Pour in 1 cup white wine to deglaze the pot, scraping any browned bits from the bottom. Let wine reduce by half, about 2–3 minutes.

Add 2 cups chicken or seafood stock, bay leaves, and the juice of one lemon. Bring to a simmer.

Add potatoes to the simmering broth, cover the pot, and cook for 10 minutes.

Add corn pieces and sliced sausage to the pot, recover, and simmer another 8–10 minutes, until potatoes are nearly tender when pierced with a fork.

Stir the pot, nestle clams and mussels into the broth and cover. Steam for 4–6 minutes, checking after 4 minutes; discard any clams or mussels that remain tightly closed.

Add shrimp on top of the shellfish, recover, and steam 2–3 minutes more, until shrimp are opaque and firm and all shellfish have opened. Total steaming time for shellfish should be 6–9 minutes depending on size.

Turn off heat. Remove bay leaves. Stir in 2 tbs melted butter and chopped parsley to finish the broth. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper or additional hot sauce as desired.

Transfer seafood, potatoes, corn and sausage to a large serving bowl or arrange on a covered baking sheet to keep warm. Ladle the aromatic broth over the top.

Serve immediately with lemon wedges and slices of crusty bread for sopping up the broth.