New England Clam Chowder

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

Servings: 8 - 10

Ingredients

• 4-6 strips of diced bacon

• 1 medium onion, grated

• 2 celery stalks, grated

• 1/2-1 cup of dry sherry

• 4 tbs unsalted butter

• 4 tbs all purpose flour

• 3 peeled and diced Yukon gold potatoes

• 3 6.5 oz cans of whole baby clams

• 4 cups clam juice

• Sprigs of thyme

• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste (optional)

• 2-3 dashes of tobasco, or to taste (optional)

• 2-3 dashes of Worcestershire

• 3 cups heavy cream or milk

• Salt and pepper

• 1 dozen fresh clams

  
  

Steps

New England Clam Chowder

1. Add bacon to a cold Dutch oven or large pot and turn heat to medium low to render the fat. Once cooked to your liking no, remove the bacon to a paper towel.

2. You may need to remove some of the bacon fat until only a tablespoon remains. Add the grated onion and celery with a pinch of salt to the remaining bacon fat and sauté until the water is evaporated, about 10 minutes. Deglaze the pot with the dry sherry, scraping up anything that has stuck to pot, about 1 - 2 minutes.

3. Create a roux by melting the butter, then adding the flour and cooking about 2 - 3 minutes.

4. Add potatoes to pot (which should have been sitting in cold water to prevent browning) and sauté for 2 - 3 minutes.

5. Strain the clams and add the reserved juice to the pot, as well as enough additional clam juice to cover the potatoes. Add bay leaves, thyme sprigs (or parsley or tarragon), ground black pepper, and cayenne. Bring the liquid to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer, 15 - 20 minutes.

6. Turn the heat to the lowest setting and add the half & half and heat through.

7. Add the clams, Tabasco, Worcestershire, and season with salt and pepper.

Fresh Clams

1. Ahead of time, scrub the outside of the clams with a stiff brush under cold water. Then soak the clams in a mixture of cold water and 1 - 2 tablespoons of flour. Let sit for 30-60 minutes. Before you're ready to use, drain the clams and given them one more rinse under cold water.

2. Add oil to a medium size sauté pan over high heat and add in the clams and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.

3. Add in the wine, garlic and thyme and cover and cook for 3 to 5 minutes on high heat or until the clams open.

4. Finish the clams with butter, parsley, salt, and red pepper flakes.

To Serve:

Add a few ladles of soup into your bowl and garnish with bacon, parsley, oyster crackers, and cooked clams.

We would not recommend freezing, as anything with dairy freezes and thaws poorly. You should plan to eat the New England Clam Chowder within a week; half the recipe if necessary (which is what we normally do).