With the abundance of seafood during the summer I find myself constantly craving fish, clams, mussels, and everything in between. Lobster rolls for lunch? Yes, please! Steamed mussels for dinner? Why not? Sheet pan clam bake for the weekend? Sign me up! This dish has everything that goes in a seafood boil from sausages to corn to potatoes but it's all cooked on a single sheet pan. It's incredibly easy to make and oh so delicious!
Recipe
Sheet Pan Clam Bake
Ingredients
- 8 red potatoes
- 2 ears corn shucked and cut in half
- ½ cup butter melted
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon lemon pepper
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ½ tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
- ½ teaspoon cayenne
- 2 lb clams
- 12 ounces Andouille sausage sliced into ½ inch thick slices
- ½ lemon sliced
- chopped parsley for garnish
- lemon wedges for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Cut the red potatoes into wedges and toss with 2 tablespoon olive oil and 1 teaspoon salt. Spread the potatoes on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.
- Remove the sheet pan from the oven and add the shucked corn. Bake for another 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the spiced butter. Combine ½ cup melted butter with 1 tablespoon paprika, 1 tablespoon lemon pepper, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 1 tablespoon onion powder, 1 tablespoon sugar, ½ tablespoon Old Bay seasoning, and ½ teaspoon cayenne.
- Remove the sheet pan from the oven and add the clams and sliced sausage. Toss all of the ingredients with the spiced butter and spread it into one even layer. Place the sliced lemon on top of the clams and bake for another 10 minutes or until the clam shells open.
- Squeeze the lemon onto the clam bake and garnish with chopped parsley. Serve with fresh lemon wedges if desired.
**Helpful tips and common mistakes
The great thing about this sheet pan clam bake is that you can modify it to fit your palate. Swap out the clams for mussels, shrimp, or even crawfish. You can even go extra fancy and add some lobster tails for a real feast.
Before you can start cooking clams, you need to purge them first. Basically, you want to remove all of the sand inside the clams. All you have to do is soak the fresh clams in freshwater for 20 minutes. The clams will spit out the saltwater and sand out of their shells, cleaning themselves. Pretty cool, right?
While the clams are cleaning themselves, prep the red potatoes. We're going to start by cooking the potatoes first since they take the longest to cook. Cut the potatoes into wedges and bake for 10 minutes at 425 degrees F. Remove the sheet pan and add the corn on the cob and cook for another 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the spiced butter. This is where all the flavor comes from. Melted butter with paprika, lemon pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, sugar, Old Bay seasoning, cayenne...you already know this is going to be good!
Remove the sheet pan from the oven and add the clams and sliced Andouille sausage. Pour on that spiced butter over everything, tossing to coat. Lay some lemon slices on top and finish baking in the oven for another 10 minutes. You'll know the clams are ready when the shells open up.
Squeeze those lemon slices on top of everything and get ready to get your hands dirty. This sheet pan clam bake was so easy to make with minimal dishes and prep, always a plus! The spiced butter is everything good in life with a ton of flavor and spice. Grab some bread and soak in all that extra sauce if you dare.
For more seafood inspiration check out this Viet Cajun seafood chowder!
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