New England Clam Chowder

I love cream soups. Loooove them, however I don't like the selection they have here. One thing I've been missing like crazy is clam chowder.

Does anyone have a great recipe for clam chowder? Or better yet if they know where I could find some? I looked for some in the store last time I went shopping but it seems they don't stock up on it.

With the cold weather coming on, I keep wishing I had a nice bowl of chowder. Mmmmm.... chowder....  

Hi Ashley,

I've seen some clam chowder here.  I think it was Baxter's.  I don't always see it in the store, but every one in a while, I do run across it.

For creamy soups, I simply adore homemade potato and leek soup.  Not too heavy and wonderful for those cold winter days.  Another good one I've found is called cheesy bacon soup.  Sounds heavy, but it's not, and it's positively scrumpy!

If anyone wants these recipes, let me know and I'll post them.

For anyone who is interested, I found a fantastic recipe for Clam Chowder from my favorite recipe site: allrecipes.com

It's really easy and so so good. Only thing I had a problem with was finding clams. Local market had them but they were fresh and it was gross de-shelling them. Eww.

Recipe:

Ingredients    


4 slices bacon, diced
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 1/2 cups water
4 cups peeled and cubed potatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
ground black pepper to taste
3 cups half-and-half
3 tablespoons butter
2 (10 ounce) cans minced clams


Directions
1 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.
2 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.

Makes 8 servings  


Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 30 Minutes
Ready in: 45 Minutes

I have never had clam chowder - I don't like clams.  But since I'm in New England I just had to correct your accent.  It's not clam chowder.  It's clam chowda!  Happy eating.

...clam chowda...

 

I'm so glad you asked, Ashley. I LOVE clam chowder but nothing here comes close...sorry, not even Baxter.

Been looking for a good recipe. I'll have to try it!
Oh, and I wonder if the grocer would shuck them for you.

Oh, and I wonder if the grocer would shuck them for you.

It's something to ask! All the grocery stores in my area didn't even have clams, just the market (which are locally owned stalls). I should have asked, but the guy who I bought them off was a big surly man and I thought it best to give him the money and get going!

One thing he suggested is to use cockels instead of clams, you can get those in jars and ready to cook. I've never had a cockel, so I don't know if it would work or not but he said that's what they substitute clams for nowadays.

If you're in London (and I think you are ) Eat, the sandwhich store which has chains all around the capital serves Clam Chowder now and then as it's soup of the day.  It's very good!

Sainsbury's has canned clams in the tuna section.... haven't tried it yet, though.  Will let you know.

Calling all Chowda Heads!

Its Buzzy up here in Orkney and since I am orignally from New England have been missing Chowda like crazy.  I have taken my husband off salt so have been avoiding tinned soups like the plague.  

The solution was this:  

Take Legal Seafoods Chowda recipe and modify it for our local Orkney Seafood.

Get it off the Legal website.  The changes we made were incidental:
we used streaky bacon or back bacon for the fat.  

The clams are problematic as there are no littleneck, quohogs or cherrystones up here where the Atlantic meets the Northsea.  So we used Spoots.  Spoots are razor clams to us and usually not consumed in the US due to pollution.  However, they made a very sweet, if somewhat rubbery textured Chowda.  Quite nice the first day but supreme the second!!

We  have also substituted scallops for clams. Quarter the large scallops and add them in 2 batches, the first batch during the main cooking time and the second just before serving.

We also aren't fond of celery so we left it out totally.  Although my husband did add in leeks once when I wasn't observent.

The key here is to start with the basic recipe and make it your own using fresh, local ingredients.

Being fat watchers, we used skim milk and the Chowda was nice and thick.

Go for it and let me know how it works out!