When the Frenchman Bay Conservancy bought a parcel on the tidal falls in Hancock three years ago, the group wasn’t quite sure what to do with the lobster pound on the property. They bought the land so they could make it into a park, not so they could run a restaurant.

In its efforts to preserve this scenic sliver of land, the conservancy ended up preserving the Tidal Falls Lobster Kettle as well, and it now generates money for the group. That’s one of the reasons author and Sedgwick summer resident Brooke Dojny included the restaurant in the recently published “New England Clam Shack Book” ($16.95, Storey Books). The other reason was the Garlicky Mussels. And the Hot Crab Dip. And the lemonade. Oh, and the view isn’t bad, either.

“When you think about it, lobster pounds need a conservancy, too,” Dojny said, dipping a sesame cracker in a ramekin of crab dip on a recent summer evening. “They’re in danger of disappearing, largely because of pressure from real estate developers and because they sit on such prime pieces of real estate. … They’re all at risk of being condominiums.”

The publisher, Storey Books, contacted Dojny because of her interest in New England cooking. But the Bon Appetit columnist didn’t become a real clam shack aficionado until she began work on the cookbook.

“As soon as I started I fell in love with the whole subject,” she said. “As I worked on it I really began to realize how much these places are at risk of vanishing from the scene. … I sort of became the champion of these guys and felt like I really wanted to celebrate what I found within this book.”

At a time when chain restaurants have overtaken

many areas, these simple seafood shacks are a welcome holdout, Dojny says. The food is fresh – often the lobsters, mussels and clams come straight off the boat into the kitchen. The businesses are mainly family-owned, which means the employees have a direct stake in the quality of the meals.

“It takes real commitment to keep your standards up and keep the food consistent and not mess around with it, not chef-ify it,” Dojny said.

The dishes are so unfussy that she had a hard time getting recipes. Many of the restaurateurs thought it was funny that she’d ask – it’s not that hard to boil a lobster, steam a pot of clams, or whip up a lobster roll. But that’s exactly what makes clam shacks so appealing.

“A lot of people said, ‘I’m afraid you’ll find this disappointing,'” she said. “But that’s the whole point. That’s why the food is so good. It’s the best crab, the freshest, and it’s simple and unvarying.”

And the atmosphere can’t be beat. In Hancock, the reversing falls provide a dramatic backdrop for frolicking seals and seabirds. At Thurston’s Lobster Pound in Bernard, a village in the town of Tremont, the dining decks sit on piers directly over the water. And at Two Lights Lobster Shack in Cape Elizabeth, you can eat in the small dining room or take your meal outside and watch the waves break on the rocks.

Dojny was limited to 25 restaurants, so she couldn’t include everyone, and while she did extensive research, she’s sure there were a few places she left out or didn’t discover. When she visited the clam shacks, her standards were strict and straightforward: good, simple, homemade food made from the freshest ingredients possible; a friendly, courteous staff; and reasonable prices. If she walked through the door and smelled any off odors, she immediately turned around and walked out. Ditto if the eatery didn’t pass the chowder test.

“If you get a good homemade chowder, that bodes well for the rest of the food,” she said. And if it was a premade, goopy concoction? “Sometimes I just left after that.”

Ten clam shacks in Maine made the cut, including the Bagaduce Lunch in Penobscot, which she lauded for its sweet crab roll. In addition to the outstanding view, Dojny praised the Crab Louis Spread and the Mussel Chowder at Thurston’s. And the Haraseeket Lunch in Freeport had a heck of a lobster roll.

“But that’s just because it’s lobster, mayo, salt and pepper and a roll,” she added.

The book celebrates the cuisine’s simplicity as well as its regional diversity, from the Portuguese influence in Rhode Island and southern Massachusetts to the great red vs. white chowder debate.

“You can start a battle royal if you bring up the subject,” she said.

She wouldn’t divulge which chowder she preferred, but she was unequivocal about the allure of the clam shack. Like the nature conservancy in Tidal Falls, each of the restaurants is doing its part to make sure things remain unchanged. They aren’t flashy. They aren’t hip. Most of them haven’t changed their menus since the 1950s. And Dojny likes it that way.

“That’s what I love about them. The food, the menus are the way we remember them growing up,” she said. “I think they represent living American history and a link between the present and the past. … I think even without knowing it they’re preserving a little bit of Americana.”

Tidal Falls Lobster Kettle’s Garlicky Mussels

Makes 6 servings.

5 large garlic cloves

1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter

2 teaspoons salt

6 pounds live mussels, rinsed

Peel the garlic and put through a garlic press or finely mince with a chef’s knife. In a saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the garlic and cook over very low heat for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside, covered, for at least 1 hour. Garlic butter can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Reheat gently.

In a large stockpot, bring about 1 inch of water to a boil. Add the salt. Add the mussels, cover the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and steam until the mussel shells open, 5 to 10 minutes, depending on their size and the size of the pot. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the mussels to a large platter; discard any that don’t open.

Meanwhile, reheat the garlic butter over low heat. Pour the warm garlic butter over the hot mussels or dip the mussels in the garlic butter. Serve immediately.

Thurston’s Lobster Pound Crab Louis Spread

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons bottled chili sauce

1 tablespoon grated onion

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

A few grains cayenne pepper, or to taste

1/2 pound fresh crabmeat

1 to 2 tablespoons heavy cream

Good-quality crackers

In a medium-size mixing bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, chili sauce, onion, parsley and cayenne pepper. Add the crabmeat and 1 tablespoon of the cream and fold the mixture together, taking care not to mash the crab up too fine. If the mixture is not quite thin enough to spread, add the remaining tablespoon of cream. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to allow the flavors to blend.

Serve surrounded by crackers. Spread the crab mixture on the crackers.

Lincolnville Beach Steamer Chowder

Makes 4 main-course servings or 8 first-course servings

2 1/2 pounds soft-shell clams, preferably more than 2 inches long

1/2 cup water

6 tablespoons butter

1 large onion, chopped

3 cups peeled and diced russet or all-purpose potatoes

2 cups reserved clam broth

2 cups whipping cream

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Oyster crackers

Scrub the clams well and soak them in a large pot of cold water for at least 1 hour. Drain the clams and put them in a large pot, add about 1/2 cup of water, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and steam until the clams open, 5 to 8 minutes. When cool enough to handle, remove the clams from their shells, working over the cooking pot to catch the juices. Pull the black skin off the necks. Strain the broth through cheesecloth or a clean linen towel, reserving the broth.

Heat the butter in a large, heavy pot. Add the onion and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until softened, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the potatoes, clam broth and cream. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook, covered, until the potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. add the cooked clams and any of their accumulated juices. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Refrigerate the chowder, uncovered, until cold. Cover and refrigerate overnight or for up to 36 hours. Reheat gently, adding water and adjusting the seasoning as necessary. Serve with oyster crackers.

Tidal Falls Lobster Kettle Fresh-Squeezed Lemonade

Makes about 9 cups

8 cups water

11/4 cups sugar

1 tablespoon coarsely shredded lemon zest, plus additional for garnish

11/2 cups fresh lemon juice (about 11/2 pounds, or 5 to 7 medium lemons)

Thin lemon slices

Fresh mint

Heat 2 cups of the water in a medium-sized saucepan. Add the sugar and stir until it dissolves. In a large pitcher, combine the sugar syrup with the remaining water, lemon zest and lemon juice, stirring to blend well. Chill for at least 1 hour or until ready to serve.

Pour into tall glasses over ice, sprinkle with a little more lemon zest and garnish with a thin lemon slice and a sprig of mint.

Maine clam shacks

Brooke Dojny chose 10 Maine restaurants for inclusion in “The New England Clam Shack Cookbook.” Here are her selections, from north to south:

. Tidal Falls Lobster Kettle, Tidal Falls Road (off Eastside Road), Hancock, 422-6457.

. Thurston’s Lobster Pound, Steamboat Wharf Road, Bernard (in the town of Tremont), 244-7600.

. Bagaduce Lunch, Frank’s Flat Road (Route 176), Penobscot, 326-4729.

. The Lobster Pound Restaurant, Route 1, Lincolnville Beach, 789-5550.

. Cod End Cookhouse, Commercial Street, Tenants Harbor, 372-6782.

. Shaw’s Fish and Lobster Wharf, Route 32, New Harbor, 677-2200.

. Haraseeket Lunch and Lobster Co., Main Street, Freeport, 865-4888.

. J’s Oyster Bar, 5 Portland Pier, Portland, 772-4828.

. Two Lights Lobster Shack, 225 Two Lights Road, Cape Elizabeth, 799-1677.

. The Clam Shack, Route 9 at the Kennebunkport Bridge, Kennebunkport, 967-3321.