New England Clam Chowder

Name: New England Clam Chowder
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 55 min
Cuisine: United States
Ingredients: 1½ kg (3⅓ lb) small clams in shell (littlenecks, palourdes), scrubbed; discard any that stay open when tapped; 500 ml (2 cups) water; 100 g (3½ oz) thick-cut smoked bacon, cut into 1 cm pieces; 15 g (1 tbsp) unsalted butter; 1 yellow onion, diced 1 cm; 1 celery stalk, diced; 2 sprigs thyme; 1 bay leaf; 2 tbsp all-purpose flour; 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) waxy or all-purpose potatoes (Yukon Gold), peeled, diced 1.5 cm; 250 ml (1 cup) whole milk; 150 ml (⅔ cup) heavy cream; 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley or chives, chopped; black pepper, plenty; fine sea salt, only if needed; clams are salty

Fresh clams steamed open, their broth made into a creamy, smoky chowder

Serves: 4
Hands-on: 35 min
Total: 55 min
Level: Some skill

A good chowder tastes of the sea, not of flour. Steaming fresh clams first gives you a briny broth to build on, bacon adds smoke, and the soup is thickened mostly by potato, with just enough flour to keep the cream smooth.

Ingredients

1½ kgsmall clams in shell (littlenecks, palourdes) (3⅓ lb)scrubbed; discard any that stay open when tapped
500 mlwater (2 cups)
100 gthick-cut smoked bacon (3½ oz)cut into 1 cm pieces
15 gunsalted butter (1 tbsp)
1yellow oniondiced 1 cm
1celery stalkdiced
2 sprigsthyme
1bay leaf
2 tbspall-purpose flour
500 gwaxy or all-purpose potatoes (Yukon Gold) (1 lb 2 oz)peeled, diced 1.5 cm
250 mlwhole milk (1 cup)
150 mlheavy cream (⅔ cup)
2 tbspflat-leaf parsley or chiveschopped
black pepperplenty
fine sea saltonly if needed; clams are salty

Allergens: molluscs, milk, gluten, celery
Origin: United States (New England)
Season: Autumn, Winter

Method

Put the clams and water in a heavy pot, cover and set over high heat. Steam, shaking the pot now and then, until the clams open, 5–8 minutes. Lift out the clams as they open; discard any that stay shut after 10 minutes. 7 min
Pour the clam broth through a sieve lined with a paper towel to catch any sand. You should have about 700 ml; top up with water if short. Pull the clam meat from the shells and chop roughly. Rinse the pot.
Cook the bacon in the pot over medium heat until browned and crisp, 6–8 minutes. Lift out half with a slotted spoon for topping. 7 min
Add the butter, onion, celery, thyme and bay leaf to the fat. Cook until the onion is soft, 6–8 minutes. 7 min
Stir in the flour and cook 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the clam broth until smooth. 1 min
Add the potatoes and simmer, partly covered, until tender, 12–15 minutes. Press a few pieces against the side of the pot to thicken the soup. 14 min
Add the milk and cream and heat until steaming; don't boil. Stir in the clams and heat through for 1 minute — any longer and they toughen. 1 min
Remove the herbs, season with pepper and taste for salt. Serve with the reserved bacon and parsley on top.

Why it works

Steaming clams in a small amount of water extracts their salty, savory juices into a ready-made stock. Mashing a few potatoes releases starch that thickens without the pasty taste of too much flour. Clam meat is muscle that toughens quickly, so it goes in at the very end just to warm through.

Common mistakes

Skipping the strain: clams carry sand. Strain the broth through paper.
Boiling after the dairy goes in: it can split and the clams turn rubbery.
Salting early: the clam broth is often salty enough on its own.

Variations

Pantry chowder: Use two 280 g cans of chopped clams, plus 2 bottles (500 ml) clam juice in place of the steaming broth.
Fish chowder: Use Fish Stock instead of clam broth and poach 500 g chunks of haddock or cod in the soup for the last 4 minutes.

Make ahead and storage

Best the day it's made. Keeps 2 days in the fridge; reheat gently. Doesn't freeze well.