New England Clam and Seafood Chowder
This chowder combines lessons that I learned from Marjorie Druker, owner of the Massachusetts-based New England Soup Factory, and Arturo Camacho, executive chef of Shell & Bones in New Haven, Connecticut. Camacho garnishes his bowls with kettle-style potato chips; Druker, meanwhile, gravitates toward tried-and-true oyster crackers. Whatever the garnish, I love the creamy lightness of this broth.
New England Clam and Seafood Chowder
Photo Credit : Michael Piazza | Styling by Liz Neily | Silo Soup Mug by Farmhouse PotteryThis chowder combines lessons that I learned from Marjorie Druker, owner of the Massachusetts-based New England Soup Factory, and Arturo Camacho, executive chef of Shell & Bones in New Haven, Connecticut. Camacho garnishes his bowls with kettle-style potato chips; Druker, meanwhile, gravitates toward tried-and-true oyster crackers. Whatever the garnish, I love the creamy lightness of this broth.
Yield:
6 servingsIngredients
½ cup plus ¼ cup dry white wine
50 littleneck clams(1 bag), sorted and cleaned (see Note, below)
2 slices bacon, for garnish
2 tablespoons salted butter
1 ½ large onions, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs thyme
1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
2 cups fish stock
2 large russet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 pound white fish (such as halibut or cod)
1 ½ cups heavy cream
Clams in shell, oyster crackers, and minced parsley, for garnish
Instructions
To cook the clams, pour 1½ cups water and ½ cup wine into a large pot over high heat. Bring to a boil, then add the clams. Cover and cook until they open, 5 to 7 minutes. Discard any that don’t open. Use a slotted spoon to transfer clams to a bowl. Strain the cooking liquid through a fine sieve or cheesecloth and reserve 2 cups clam broth. When the clams are cool enough to handle, set aside 6 in the shell for garnish, then remove the meat from the rest and chop into small pieces.
In a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until browned and crisp. Remove bacon (leaving fat in the pot), drain on paper towels, crumble, and set aside.
Add butter, onion, celery, garlic, bay leaves, and thyme to the Dutch oven. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until translucent, about 6 minutes. Add Old Bay seasoning and 1 teaspoon pepper; cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add ¼ cup wine and cook for 1 minute. Add the reserved clam broth and fish stock and bring to a simmer, stirring, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 5 more minutes. Add potatoes and simmer, covered, until just tender, 7 to 10 minutes. Add fish and cook, stirring gently, until opaque and flaky. Add cream and chopped clams and cook until warmed through. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and garnish each with one clam in shell, oyster crackers, crumbled bacon, and minced parsley.
Amy Traverso
Amy Traverso is the senior food editor at Yankee magazine and co-host of the public television series Weekends with Yankee, a coproduction with WGBH. Previously, she was food editor at Boston magazine and an associate food editor at Sunset magazine. Her work has also been published in The Boston Globe, Saveur, and Travel & Leisure, and she has appeared on Hallmark Home & Family, The Martha Stewart Show, Throwdown with Bobby Flay, and Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares. Amy is the author of The Apple Lover’s Cookbook, which was a finalist for the Julia Child Award for best first-time author and won an IACP Cookbook Award in the “American” category.
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