Award Winning New England Clam Chowder Recipe 435

NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER I

Steps:

• Place diced bacon in large stock pot over medium-high heat. Cook until almost crisp; add onions, and cook 5 minutes. Stir in water and potatoes, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, and cook uncovered for 15 minutes, or until potatoes are fork tender.
• Pour in half-and-half, and add butter. Drain clams, reserving clam liquid; stir clams and 1/2 of the clam liquid into the soup. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until heated through. Do not allow to boil.

CONTEST-WINNING NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove to paper towels to drain; set aside. Saute celery and onion in the drippings until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the potatoes, water, clam juice, bouillon, pepper and thyme. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, until potatoes are tender, 15-20 minutes., In a small bowl, combine flour and 1 cup half-and-half until smooth. Gradually stir into soup. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened, 1-2 minutes., Stir in clams and remaining half-and-half; heat through (do not boil). Crumble the cooked bacon; sprinkle over each serving.

ANTHONY BOURDAIN'S CLAM CHOWDER RECIPE

Steps:

• If using fresh clams, cook them in a stockpot over medium heat in 1/2 cup of water until each shell opens. Discard any clams that don't open.
• In a clean dutch oven over medium heat, cook your chopped bacon until slightly browned.
• Add the diced onions and cook until translucent.
• Add the diced potatos, salt and pepper. Add just enough water to cover the potatoes and simmer until potatoes are fork-tender.
• In a measuring cup or small bowl, whisk together the flour and 1/2 cup of the milk to form a slurry. Stir into the bacon-potato mixture.
• Add the clams (and any reserved cooking liquid if you cooked them fresh). Simmer for 5 minutes, until the clams are cooked through.
• Add the remaining milk and heavy cream and continue cooking for 4 minutes.
• Taste and adjust with additional salt and pepper.
• Serve the soup with plenty of oyster crackers, and a sprinkling of chopped parsley, if desired.

SHIRLEY'S MAINE CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, heat clam juice and peeled potatoes. Bring water to a boil and let simmer until tender, about 15 minutes.
• Place bacon in a large stock pot. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Stir in onions and celery. Cook until vegetables are soft.
• Add potatoes, clam juice and clams to the stock pot. Heat until simmering.
• In a separate pot, gently warm (do not boil) half and half. Pour warm half and half into the stock pot and heat just until warmed through. Do not boil the chowder or the cream will separate. Serve hot.

HOW TO MAKE PRIZE-WINNING SEAFOOD CHOWDER

Steps:

• In a large pot or stock pot, heat butter and oil over medium heat. Add the onions and celery and cook until soft and transparent but not browned, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in the flour, making a roux, then add the broth and the clam nectar. Add the potatoes, carrots, thyme, bay leaf and paprika. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook for 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender but not mushy.
• Add the seafood, wine and seasonings, stir gently and cook uncovered for about 10 minutes.
• Gently stir in the cream, being careful not to let to boil after this is added. Remove the bay leaf.
• Garnish with more fresh dill and serve hot.

NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Rinse and soak clams in cold water to remove any grit, 5 minutes. Heat a heavy-bottomed saucepan with a lid over medium-low heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Peel and chop 2 shallots and 1 garlic clove and add to the pot, along with a few parsley stems. Cook about 2 minutes to "sweat" the vegetables. Drain clams and add to pot, along with white wine. Cover and cook over high heat until clams are opened, about 5 minutes.
• Add potatoes to a medium saucepan and cover with water; add a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and cook the potatoes until tender, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, check the clams: put the opened ones in a bowl, then "agitate" the pot by moving it back and forth over the heat to coax the remaining ones to open. Once the clams are open and out of the pot, continue cooking to reduce the liquid to about 1 cup. (Watch for sand that may have accumulated at the bottom of the pot.) Discard any clams that haven't opened.
• Dice the leek and toss in a bowl of water to remove any sand. Dice celery and fennel (reserving the fronds). Peel and mince 1 garlic clove, 1 shallot, and the onion. Remove cooked potatoes to a bowl to cool.
• Preheat soup pot over medium heat. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil into the pot. While the pot is heating, remove the leeks from the water to a clean bowl. Then add onions, fennel, celery, and a pinch of salt to the pot followed by the leeks, a sprig of parsley and some fennel fronds. Gently stir and cook until vegetables are soft, 5 minutes. Add the shellfish cooking liquid. Add the jalapeño slice and a lemon peel to the soup. Bring to a simmer and cook, 10 minutes. Meanwhile, remove the clams from their shells and roughly chop. Cut the potatoes to roughly the same size as the clams; cut the shrimp in half or thirds, depending on size. Add dashi to the soup, followed by the cream. Taste to adjust the seasonings, and add salt and pepper if necessary. Add a pinch of Aleppo pepper and the shrimp; bring the soup back to a simmer. Add the potatoes and clams, then cover until heated through.
• Finish soup with a squeeze of lemon and chopped parsley. Ladle into bowls and serve.
• Place kombu in 1 quart cold water to soak, 30 minutes. Then discard soaking water, place kombu in a small saucepan, and cover with 1 quart fresh cold water. Over medium-low heat, bring to a simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and let kombu steep, 30 minutes. Turn heat back on and bring to almost a simmer. Add bonito flakes, but don't stir. Let sit for 10 minutes, then strain, reserving the broth (dashi).