July 4, 2019

New England Clam Chowder, in Old England

Summer always brings in cravings for seaside trips, weekend BBQs, and, despite the heat, steaming bowls of fresh clam chowder. In my humble opinion, it is hard to beat the chowder served at Lenny and Joe’s Fish Tale in Connecticut. Nothing makes me think of my childhood more than that taste. However, living in London it is hard to find a chowder quite like this. When it comes to chowder, simple is best and homemade is a great way to keep it simple. Some ingredients are hard to find, but with a little creative shopping and a sturdy soup pot, you can have yourself a delicious taste of New England in no time, no matter where you are.

New England Clam Chowder

This isn’t the thick, creamy chowder you think of from Boston. This version is a bit lighter but still has a hint of dairy. If you want a creamier base, feel free to substitute whole milk for the semi-skim. You can also go the Rhode Island route and drop the milk altogether. However, this recipe, with its happy compromise, is closer to what I am used to growing up and I highly recommend it.

You will need the following ingredients:

1 kg clams in shells (Traditionally these would be quahog clams, but any hard shell variety will do. We used Vietnamese white clams from Chinatown.)
2 cups of potatoes, cubed
3-4 stalks of celery
1 cup of water
2 cups of clam broth (Once again, Chinatown to the rescue. We used clam stock cubes in place of fresh broth.)
1 cup semi-skim milk
knob of butter (We recommend smoked butter for a bit more depth of flavour.)
black pepper

And the following equipment:

medium sized pot with lid
measuring cup
strainer
large bowl and small bowl
cutting board
knife
mixing spoon

Ok, now let’s get cooking!

Cook the clams for 5-7 minutes in about 1 cup of water. If buying fresh, throw away any that are open and don’t close when tapped, and after cooking throw away any that haven’t opened.
Strain the clams into a bowl and put them aside to cool. Keep the cooking liquid.

After the clams have cooled to an appropriate temperature to handle them, remove the meat from the shell and put into a small bowl for later.
In a medium pot, combine the 2 cups of stock with the cooking liquid from the clams and bring to a boil.
While the broth is coming to a boil, cube your potatoes and chop your celery. Go for bite sized pieces, similar in size to your clams once they are out of their shells.
Add potatoes to the broth and let cook for about 5 minutes.
Add celery to the pot and cook for around another 3 minutes.
Once the potatoes feel like they have a bit of crunch, but will allow a knife almost through, add the clams.
Stir to combine.
Add 1 cup of milk to pot and allow to return to a simmer.
Simmer for around 5 minutes.
Add pepper to taste and finish with the knob of butter. The smoked butter will give it a more yellow colour, don’t be alarmed.