How to make the best New England clam chowder
A lesson from the pros.
Classic New England Clam Chowder By Executive Chef Jeremy Sewall of Row 34 Boston, Row 34 Portsmouth, Island Creek Oyster Bar, and Lineage
Makes 10-12 servings
For clams and clam broth: 5 pounds little neck clams (washed well) 2 cups white wine 2 cups of water 1 cup Spanish onion, chopped ½ cup chopped celery 3 sprigs thyme 1 lemon, cut into quarters 1 small fennel bulb, chopped ¼ cup canola oil
In a 6 quart pan (needs to have a well fitting lid) heat the canola oil. Sweat the onion, celery and fennel for about 1 minute. The vegetables should have no color; add the remaining ingredients and cover. After a few minutes check the clams frequently and remove each clam as it opens. Let them cool enough to handle and remove the meat from the shell; discard the shells. Strain the cooking liquid and save.
For the soup base: ¼ pound of sliced bacon, chopped 2 cups Spanish onion, chopped 1 cup celery, chopped 1 cup leek white, sliced 5 sprigs of thyme 1 stick of unsalted butter 1 cup all purpose flour 1 quart half and half 2 cups whole milk broth from steaming clams 12 large cherrystone clams, washed well 3 tablespoons green Tabasco 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 2 tablespoons lemon juice Salt and white pepper
In a heavy bottom stock pot cook the bacon slowly until all the fat is cooked out. Add the onions, leek and celery; sweat for 30 seconds. Sprinkle the flour over the top of the vegetables and stir in, cook for 1 minute stirring frequently, make sure it does not stick the bottom of the pan. If the mixture starts to stick or burn place in a new pan before continuing. Add the clam broth, clams and thyme, slowly bring to a simmer. Whisk in the milk and half and half, bring slowly to a simmer. Let the soup simmer for 20 minutes and remove from heat, let it steep for 30 minutes. Remove and discard the clams from the broth and strain the liquid through a fine mesh strainer, add the lemon juice, Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cool in an ice bath and refrigerate until ready to use.
For the garnish: ½ cup russet potato, small dice ¼ cup celery, small dice ¼ cup Spanish onion, small dice ¼ cup leek white, small dice 6 slices of bacon, chopped small ¼ cup Italian parsley, rough chopped The steamed littleneck clams, chopped in half Salt and white pepper to taste.
Cook the potatoes in salted water until almost cooked through, they should still have a firm texture. Once cooked strain and let cool at room temperature. Cook the bacon in a sauté pan until crisp, remove from the pan and save the bacon fat. Warm enough of the bacon fat in another sauté pan to gently sweat the vegetables until tender. Remove from the pan and mix with the potatoes, bacon, clams and parsley. Season with salt and pepper and refrigerate until ready to use.
To serve: Warm the soup base up slowly, stirring frequently. In a sauté pan warm up the vegetable mixture, everything is cooked so just warm the vegetable through. Divide the vegetable mixture into 10 bowls and ladle the hot soup over the top. Serve immediately.
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