IN CELEBRATION OF MAINE LOBSTER MONTH, STEW LEONARD'S SHARES TIPS AND RECIPES FOR PREPARING A NEW ENGLAND CLAMBAKE

NORWALK, CONN., July 21, 2008 – Nothing says New England like a clambake – complete with succulent lobster, soft-shelled steamer clams and corn on the cob drizzled with sweet butter. August is prime time for clambakes, as this is the time of year when Maine lobsters yield the most succulent and sweetest meat, and locally-grown produce is ripe for picking. Without digging a pit in your backyard, you can replicate a clambake at home following Stew Leonard's chefs and food experts' simple steps and tips.

"The secret to a great clambake is to start with fresh, local ingredients," said Stew Leonard's Executive Chef Chaz Fable. "At Stew's, our lobster comes in daily from the cold waters off the coast of Maine. The colder the water, the better the lobster is. We have locally-grown, extra-tender corn delivered to the store the day it is picked."

Chef Chaz recommends the following quantities per person for your clambake:
1 ½ pound lobster
½ pound steamer clams or mussels
1 ear of corn
½ pound of new potatoes (red or white)
½ - ¾ pounds of seaweed or rockweed

To replicate a classic clambake indoors, start by boiling the potatoes for 15 to 20 minutes until tender. Drain well and cool in refrigerator. Pour one inch of water into a clam-steamer or large kettle. Divide the seaweed/rockweed into four equal parts. Line the bottom of the steamer with one quarter of the seaweed/rockweed. Place the lobsters on top and then the second portion of seaweed on top of the lobsters. Cover and steam for 8 minutes. Add the clams and corn, then the third layer of seaweed/rockweed on top. Cover and steam for 5 minutes or until the clams start to open. Add the cooked potatoes and scatter the remaining seaweed/rockweed on top. Cover and steam for 3-4 minutes. Total cooking time is 16-20 minutes.

Here are Stew Leonard's experts' tips for selecting the perfect clambake ingredients:
Lobster
Fred Papp, Stew Leonard's Norwalk Seafood Manager, recommends looking for a feisty lobster – the livelier a lobster is in the tank, the fresher it is; active lobsters will flap their tails and flare their claws. Make sure the shell is hard and thick to the touch, to ensure the sweetest and greatest quantity of meat. Size does not matter when it comes to quality; tough meat results from cooking a lobster too long.

Cook the lobster as soon as possible after bringing it home, although they keep up to 48 hours if stored in an open container in the refrigerator, covered with seaweed or seawater-dampened towels.

Other Shellfish
When it comes to mussels, Fred only purchases farm-raised from Prince Edward Island, as they are full of meat, sweet-tasting and don't have beards, which must be removed prior to cooking. He recommends purchasing littleneck clams raised off local waters, so they are available in store one day after being harvested. In addition, littlenecks are the best size for eating steamed or on the half-shell.

Corn
Stew Leonard's Newington Produce Manager, Allan Simon, offers the following advice for picking perfect corn: for the freshest, sweetest corn, always purchase from local farms. Choose ears that look and feel plump, have tight-fitting husks and moist stem ends. To test if the corn is ripe, pull back the husk and poke a kernel with your fingertip; the inside should be watery. If the kernel is milky instead, this is an indicator that the corn is overripe. It's best to eat corn the day it is purchased, but if that's not possible, you can keep corn fresh for 1 to 2 days by leaving the husks on and storing in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

If it's too hot to cook or the party is bigger than you can handle, Stew Leonard's can cater a clambake for you at your home or Calf Pasture Beach. The menu includes one-pound Maine lobsters per person, buckets of steamers and mussels, corn on the cob, baked potatoes, a watermelon basket filled with fresh fruit and assorted breads. To order, please contact 203-847-7213 and ask for Stew’s catering department.

Stew Leonard's, a family-owned and operated fresh food store founded in 1969, has four stores in Norwalk, Danbury, and Newington, Conn. and Yonkers, N.Y. The company was named among FORTUNE magazine's "100 Best Companies to Work for in America" for the past seven consecutive years. For more information, visit Stew Leonard's website at www.stewleonards.com.