Clam Chowder

I don't think it's fair to say that there is a season for clam chowder. After all, you can get it year-round in restaurants in New England and San Francisco. But, if there were a time of the year where a hearty soup were really appreciated, it would be autumn. 

Also, just to be clear, this article is about New England Clam Chowder. Some people suggest that there is another form of clam chowder. One made with a tomato base. They are wrong. That is not a clam chowder. It is an abomination. Now that that's out of the way: ingredients!

That's pretty simple. But, as with most recipes on this site, you throw in pretty much anything you'd like. 

Dice a few strips of bacon, and render the fat. Once you've got the bacon cooked and a good amount of bacon fat in the pan, throw in one-half onion. Diced. If you want to be super clever, reserve some of the fat, made a roux, and save it for thickening later. Mmmmm. Bacon roux.

Do a large dice on two peeled potatoes, and a fine dice on two peeled carrots.  

Once the onions start to caramelize, add the potatoes and enough water to cover them. Cook the potatoes until they're fork tender, and add in the carrots.

Now, pour off a little of the water, and add milk and/or cream and the roux. Now add the clams. I used canned clams because they're less expensive. Feel free to use fresh clams, though. Hot tip: if you use canned clams, don't have your can opener break half-way through. If that does happen, use a knife and a claw hammer to open the can.

Now, add the clams to the soup and let it simmer a couple of minutes. Then you're ready to serve.

Serves 4.

Ingredients:

3 strips of bacon, diced (and flour for a roux)

1/2 onion diced

2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and diced

2 carrots, finely diced

2 cups milk or cream, or a mixture of both

2 cans of clams

Procedure:

1. In a pot, render fat from the bacon, and reserve some for a roux

2. Add the onions and cook until they begin to caramelize

3. Throw in the potatoes and cover with water. Cook until tender.

4. Add the carrots, simmer for a few minutes, and drain some of the excess water.

5. Add in the cream, or milk and roux.

6. Finally, add the clams, and simmer for a few minutes before serving.

Comments

[Dave Drozinski]

Three of my friends and I are going to Maine this weekend and were all going to cook something along the lines of chili, soup, chowder, etc. I'm gonna try this recipe. Thanks for putting the pictures up. Some of the recipes online are hard to follow. PEACE.