New England clam and corn chowder
Hard launching soup season.
Raise your hand if you can’t remember the last time you steamed bivalves? I haven’t taken a formal survey, but my bet is you aren’t cooking fresh clams every week (or making creamy soups studded with bacon). My mission today is to convince you to commit to making clam chowder, and also to hold your hand, give you tips, and ensure it’s an easy recipe that’s wildly delicious, and comforting. Because that’s what you deserve!
Here in Boston, we’ve got farm-fresh corn at the market and a chowder-worthy chill in the air, but this recipe can be made with corn straight from the freezer. What I cannot abide by, is making it with canned clams. It’s not that I’m trying to be a seafood snob (I’m an evangelist for tinned fish), it’s that steaming the fresh ones gives you the magic elixir broth that makes this chowder so delicious. No clam juice in a bottle can compare.
If you’re gluten-free, have no fear! There is no flour in the recipe, we just smash some of the potatoes on the side of the pot to thicken it a bit, and if you don’t eat pork, turkey bacon will do.
If you aren’t frequent clam steamer, here’s what you need to know:
Buy your clams the day you want to cook them and store them in a colander set over a bowl in the fridge. Don’t leave them in a plastic bag because they need to breath.
Scrub your clams, and after you steam them pour the delicious broth in to a liquid measuring cup or quart container so you can let the grit settle to the bottom.
Trash any clams with broken shells, and any that don’t close when you scrub them. If any don’t open after cooking, those get tossed too.
My last tip for chowder is to give it a chance to cure, which just means you should either leave it at room temp in the pot for an hour before serving, or make it a day ahead of time and let it hang out in the fridge overnight before reheating it gently.
I get into all these hacks in this little video below.
Last little note in case you missed it, I recently launched my new podcast Talking to Smart People! If you enjoy hearing about life and work from artists, chefs, experts, and creators, I hope you’ll hit the play button below, or listen wherever you get your podcasts. And if you enjoy the pod, it would help me so much if you’d take the time to subscribe, rate, and review.
Thank you, thank you and happy cooking!
Catherine
RECIPE
New England Clam Chowder
Serves 4-6
INGREDIENTS
4 pounds hard-shell clams (littleneck or quahogs), scrubbed
2 cups water
4 slices of bacon cut into ½ inch pieces
2 large leeks, white and light green parts only, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 sprigs of fresh thyme, plus more for serving
1 bay leaf
1.5 pounds (about 5) red potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 ears of fresh corn, kernels removed from the cob, or 2 cups frozen corn
1.5 cups heavy cream
salt and black pepper, to taste
Oyster crackers, to serve (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
In a soup pot over medium-high heat, combine the clams and water. Cover and cook for 8-10 minutes until the clams open, shaking the pot every few minutes to redistribute clams. While this is happening start chopping your leeks, garlic, and potatoes.
Transfer clams to a large bowl, discarding any that do not open. Carefully pour or ladle the clam broth into a 1-quart liquid measure (it should fill the measure), leaving about 1 inch of liquid in the pot with any grit. Discard the remaining broth at the bottom of the pot.
Remove the clams from their shells and chop coarsely. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate while you make the rest of the chowder.
Rinse and wipe out the pot to remove any sand. Add the sliced bacon to the pot and cook over medium heat stirring often, for about 5 minutes until it renders its fat and begins to crisp.
Add the leeks and garlic stirring often, for 5 minutes more - if the bacon hasn’t let off much fat you can add a little splash of water to scrape up any browning bits in the pan - you don’t want to let the leeks and garlic burn.
Add the 1 quart clam broth, bay leaf, thyme sprigs, and potatoes. If the clam broth does not cover the potatoes, add water to just cover them. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and cover the pot. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes. This is a great time to cut the corn off the cob.
Add the corn, and cook 5 minutes more or until the potatoes are tender. With a large metal spoon, crush some of the potatoes against the side of the pot to thicken the chowder. Stir in cream, return the clams to the pot, and cook for 3 minutes or until the cream starts to bubble at the edges of the pot.
Remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaf and discard. Taste for seasoning, and add salt if it needs it - with the bacon and clams it might not! Let the soup cure by sitting for an hour on the stovetop off heat, or you can pack it up to serve the next day (but do let it cool a little before putting in the fridge).
To serve, ladle into bowls and garnish with lots of black pepper, and some thyme leaves, if you like. Serve with oyster crackers.