By Ruby Levine
Every summer, at the end of August, my family of 12 takes a road trip to Narragansett. My Mom and Dad and brother (Destine, Scott, and Ollie), my 6 cousins, and my grandparents.
We’ve stayed in the same house for the past 22 years. This trip occurs right before everyone heads back to school, and it’s filled with cherished traditions. Among our favorite activities are beach games, walks, trips to Brickley’s Ice Cream, and, of course, our annual clambake.
We make the most of the beautiful beach, taking full advantage of the house’s location right on the sand with the ocean as our front yard. Cooking and sharing delicious meals are central to our trip, and the clambake is a highlight. This meal is prepared on the beach using seaweed, rocks, and sand, and is cooked under a large tarp for 2-3 hours. The whole family participates, making it even more special.
We start by creating a shopping list for the fish market, which is detailed below*. Timing is crucial, as everything needs to be coordinated with the setting sun to avoid working in the dark. At noon, we dig a large hole in the sand, and we build a fire with about 25 large stones next to it. The stones are heated from the fire and then moved to the large hole with a shovel. We then cover them with seaweed collected in the days leading up to the event. The food, some of it wrapped in cheesecloth, is placed on top of the seaweed. A tarp is then placed over it, covered in sand, and the meal cooks for several hours.
After checking the food and ensuring it is ready, we remove the tarp and pull out everything, rinsing off any necessary items. We then gather around our picnic table on the porch and sometimes even set up a table down on the sand to enjoy our meal. The seafood is incredibly flavorful, and the entire process brings us together for a meal we’ve all contributed to.
*Inventory for fish market:
-10 lobsters
-10 bags of mussels
-8 bags of steamer clams
-12 medium red potatoes
-15 ears of corn
-3 chorizo
-5 crabs
-3 linguica sausages