Clams are one of my desert island foods.
I’ve dug them out of the bays of Long Island Sound since I could walk. This soup reminds me of cold fall and early winter meals at our home out on Long Island. The fennel, chile, and chives are my additions from forty years ago. The rest is my family chowder recipe that my dad created. Grandma and Grandpa were observant Jews, so there wasn’t a lot of’ clam chowder at their house. I don’t keep kosher, nor did my parents. Maybe that’s why my dad loved this recipe so much-the forbidden fruit rebound effect and all that. I will tell you this: Make this with Basic Fish Stock or Andrew or Barton’s Shellfish Stock and call me if you don’t find it to be your new favorite chowder recipe. – Andrew Zimmern
Recipe from The Blue Food Cookbook by Andrew Zimmern and Barton Seaver in collaboration with Fed By Blue. Order your copy now!
The BEST Clam Chowder
Ingredients
- 4 1/4 cups Fish Stock (or Andrew or Barton’s Shellfish Stock)
- 6 pounds cherrystone clams (about 48 clams)
- 1/3 pound salted butter (1 ½ sticks or six 1-inch cubes)
- 1 fennel bulb, minced (about 1½ cups)
- 1 serrano chile, finely minced
- 1 large yellow onion, diced (about 1 ½ cups)
- 3 celery stalks, diced (about 1 ½ cups)
- 2 carrots, thinly sliced (about I cup)
- 1 teaspoon celery seeds, toasted and crushed*
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, toasted and crushed*
- 3 small Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced (about 3 cups)
- 3 cups heavy cream
- Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- 1/2 cup minced parsley
- 1/4 cup minced chives
- Buttered toast
Instructions
about 8 minutes. Remove the clams and strain the broth through a strainer lined with cheesecloth (or a coffee filter) and reserve.
Shuck the cooked clams and coarsely chop them. Reserve.
Heat the butter in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the fennel, chile, onion, celery, and carrots. When the vegetables appear glassy, 12 to 15′ minutes, add the celery seeds and fennel seeds and cook for another minute. Add the potatoes and the reserved broth and bring to a simmer. Cook until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
Add the clams and heavy cream and season with salt. Reduce the heat to low and simmer very gently for about 20 minutes to thicken the cream a little.
Spoon into bowls and garnish the clam chowder with minced parsley and chives. Serve with buttered toast.
* I find the best way to toast celery seeds and fennel seeds is in a small dry sauté pan set over medium heat. It should take just a couple of minutes. Be careful not to let them burn. Cool slightly, and then crush them using a mortar and pestle.
