Weekapaug Inn’s New England Style Clam Chowder with Fried Clams & Chive Oil
Weekapaug Inn’s New England Style Clam Chowder with Fried Clams and Chive Oil
Photo Credit : Chip Riegel for Weekapaug InnIn a season four episode of Weekends with Yankee, we visited the four-star Weekapaug Inn in Westerly, Rhode Island, where Amy and co-host Richard Wiese enjoyed both its natural beauty and its culinary delicacies. This delicious clam chowder recipe from Chef Devin Bozkaya, topped with fried clams and chive oil, is one of the resort’s most popular dishes.
Yield:
6 servingsIngredients
¼ lb. (3-4 strips) applewood smoked bacon, diced small
2 cups yellow onion, medium diced
2 cups celery, medium diced
¼ cup dry sherry wine
¼ lb. (1/2 cup ) unsalted butter
4 oz. (2 2/3 teaspoons) all-purpose flour
4 cups red bliss potato, large diced
2 quarts (8 cups) clam juice
6 cups chopped clams
2 tablespoons thyme, chopped
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
¼ cup half and half
Sherry vinegar, to taste
Cayenne pepper, to taste
Kosher salt, to taste
Instructions
Render the bacon over medium heat. When the fat is fully rendered and the bacon is crisp, remove and strain. Reserve the fat.
In the same pot, add the onion and celery and cook until onions are translucent, but not browned.
Meantime, begin cooking the potatoes in one quart of the clam juice until tender.
When the onions are translucent, add the bacon back to the pot and deglaze with the sherry vinegar by adding it to the pan and then scraping up the browned bits stuck to the bottom.
After deglazing, lightly simmer until reduced and nearly dry.
While the sherry is reducing, in a separate pan, heat the butter with two tablespoons of the reserved bacon fat. When the butter is melted, whisk in the flour until smooth. Lightly simmer the mixture for five minutes, taking care not to let it brown.
Once the sherry is reduced, temper with the remaining quart of clam juice by adding it slowly to the soup base, then bring it back to simmer while stirring, ensuring there are no clumps.
When the potatoes are just about tender, strain and add to the soup. Reserve the clam juice to adjust consistency if needed
Simmer the soup for approx 10-12 minutes or until it reaches desired consistency.
Add the chopped clams and reduce the heat after two minutes.
Add half and half, chopped herbs and season to taste with salt and cayenne pepper.
Garnish with fried clams, chive oil, and fresh chives.
For the Fried Clamms
Ingredients
18 littleneck clams (3 per serving)
2 oz. (1/4 cup) buttermilk
½ cup fine cornmeal
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon paprika powder
½ teaspoon celery salt
Instructions
Shuck the clams and begin to marinate in the buttermilk until the soup is nearly done. Mix the spices with the cornmeal and flour. When the soup is almost ready, strain the clams and coat in the cornmeal mixture. Fry at 350 degrees until golden brown.
For the Chive Oil
Ingredients
1 bunch chives
½ cup grapeseed oil
High powered blender
Coffee filter
Instructions
Set a few chives aside for garnish, if using. Blanch the remaining chives by submerging them in boiling water for a few seconds and then immediately transferring them to a bowl of ice water. Once the chives have cooled, remove them from the ice water and blot dry between layers of paper towels. Combine the oil and the blanched chives in a high-powered blender and blend on high for approx 45 seconds. Do not over blend to avoid them turning brown. Strain the oil through a coffee filter and store it in the refrigerator until ready to use.