Clam Chowder

This is one of my all-time favorite foods, and this is a fine, fine preparation. I have the good fortune to be able to dig my own clams about once a year, and tend to only make this dish if the clams were exactly that fresh. You can use steamers or almost any kind of clam, but littlenecks are my favorite by far. If you’re in Rhode Island over the summer, or any other place where clams are a birthright, you can also supplement this whole thing with a pound or more of chopped fresh clams, which are widely available at most fish markets – a most amazing thing. Just make sure you rinse any clam or clam juice you add to the finished dish well, since they tend to live in sand or mud, and you don’t want all that much of it in your soup.

Since I’m usually making this dish in the summertime and I’m usually in New England and New England grows the best corn, I like to add some corn. But it’s by no means a necessity.

Ingredients:

To steam the clams:

• 24 clams
• 1 large onion, rough chop
• 1 small fennel bulb (optional), rough chop
• 2 cloves crushed garlic
• 1 bay leaf
• 12 whole peppercorns
• 1 small bunch fresh thyme
• 1 small bunch fresh parsley
• ¼ cup white wine

To make the chowder:

• 4 slices thick-cut bacon, cubed; or half pound sweet Italian or fennel sausage, casings removed
• 1 medium onion, or 1 large leek (white and pale green parts only), diced
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 ½ cups reserved steaming liquid
• 1.5 cups milk
• 1.5 cups heavy cream
• 2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, 1-inch dice
• ¼ pound butter
• Salt and pepper
• Minced fresh tarragon

Optional:

• 2 ears of the freshest corn imaginable

Directions:

To begin, rinse all the clams and place in a large pot. Add all the other ingredients, cover, and place on high heat. Steam for about 2-3 minutes, once it really gets going, then remove the clams with a slotted spoon.

Shuck and discard shells. Open any that haven’t opened. If they’re steamers, remove the sock around the neck and discard. Rinse the clams well and rough chop any of the tough parts – like the neck in a steamer or the foot in a little neck – leave the stomachs whole, and reserve.

Next, drain the liquid through a fine mesh strainer and press on the solids. Then, pour the liquid through a fine mesh strainer that you’ve lined with coffee filters. Reserve the liquid.

While the clams are steaming, you may begin the soup. Cook the bacon or sausage till it is well browned, then drain the fat. I normally scoff at the recipe direction to “drain the fat” but I didn’t once and the whole thing tasted like bacon soup. I suppose this depends on what kind of bacon you’re using, but I think it’s the safest bet.

Add the olive oil to the bacon, then the onion or leek, and cook until soft. Add the flour, stir till all the fat and juices are absorbed, and cook for about a minute, then add the clam cooking liquid. Scrape the bottom of the pan to deglaze, bring to a slow simmer, and add the potatoes. Add a healthy dose of coarsely ground black pepper at this point as well.

Cook the potatoes until they’re done, tasting frequently in order to not over cook. Smash a few against the side of the pot and stir to incorporate.

If using corn: while all this has been happening, shuck your ears and leave a stalk handle. Pull away as much of the silk as you possibly can. Place the tip of the ear in a large mixing bowl and slice the kernels off into the bowl with a downward stroke of a large knife. Rotate as many times as necessary till all the kernels are in the bowl. Follow this up by running a spoon along the ear so that the little milky packet that sits at the base of each kernel is burst and the starchy liquid runs into your bowl. Add them to the chowder after you’ve smashed a few potatoes around and before you add the milk, then cook for about 3 minutes until done. 

Add the milk and the cream and stir to mix thoroughly. Different people tend to like different types of chowder – some with more flour and milk not cream, others with more cream or the whole thing with half and half…you have to just play with it to get it right. I do think some flour is necessary to hold all the solids in suspension – that is, so they don’t just all sink to the bottom of the bowl – but chowders that use too much have a weird clumpy character to them that I don’t like as much. The broth here should be silken or velvety or one of the luxurious metaphors. If you use milk without cream though, unless you’ve added a LOT of flour, it has the potential to break. Everything has been pretty easy and forgiving at this point, but this is one point that you could potentially fuck up. If you bring the milk to a boil, it will separate, and much like the king’s men, you’ll never be able to put it back together again. In and of itself, this won’t technically affect the flavor of the soup, but will ruin the appearance, body, and texture (well – all of which actually does affect the flavor).

So you have to watch it closely at this point and also watch your heat. When steam starts rising rapidly from the surface and there are little bubbles forming at the edges, you’re extremely close to the breaking point. Add the butter and the reserved clams and then keep going for another minute (they will temper the heat), then shut off the heat. Taste and add salt if necessary. (The clam juice is super salty, but the potatoes and milk will lessen the effect, so make sure you’re not adding salt at the beginning and letting it potentially get out of control, but also make sure you don’t forget it).

Mince the tarragon. Ladle steaming heaps of chowder into individual bowls, then hit with a pinch of tarragon before they go out. Serve and enjoy at once.