New England Style Clam Chowder

From the original article on October 1, 2021. Author: Forest Seeker.

A warm bowl of creamy clam chowder is one of the best meals a man can look forward to during the shift from summer to winter. We're not looking for the heavy, sludgy seafood variants of the canned soup brands here. My preferred preparation carefully treads the line between a light broth and a thick stew. With this chowder, you're leaving the airy haze of a well-lived summer and venturing towards the serious challenges of winter. There's a chill in the air such that a nice warm bowl of soup can't go amiss, but it’s not yet time to pull out the heavy guns that are winter's rich stews and casseroles.

Recipe customization: Add in or substitute other forms of seafood such as shrimp, scallops, mussels, or cod. Substituting leeks in place of onions seems like an interesting avenue of research. If you prefer a bit more heat, try adding some red pepper flakes. If you have access to salt pork, try subbing it in for bacon. That is how chowder was traditionally made, but I've personally never been able to find salt pork in my local grocery stores, so I cannot speak to its effect on the recipe's flavor.

Ingredients

2.5 pounds live, fresh, cleaned clams (you can find these at any local seafood market and most big supermarkets. If you do not have access to fresh clams, you can use 4 cups of canned clams roughly chopped into bite-size pieces)
1 cup clam juice or seafood stock
1/2 pound bacon, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons butter
1 finely chopped medium to large onion
2 stalks celery finely chopped
1 quart whole milk
1.5 pounds peeled potato, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 bay leaves
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper

Makes about 4 servings.

Instructions

Fry the bacon in a stock pot or dutch oven. Low and slow is key so as to brown it without burning.
Add your onions, celery, and butter. Give them no more than 5 minutes to soften, and then add your clam juice or seafood stock and bring to a boil.
If using live clams, add them to the pot now. If you aren't, ignore this and skip to step 4. Cover the pot and increase the heat to high for 4-9 minutes, until the majority of your clams open their shells. Discard any unopened clams and place the rest in a strainer set over a bowl to catch all the liquids. Remove the clams from their shells and roughly dice them.
Turn the heat on your pot down, and allow to simmer uncovered. Add potatoes, bay leaves, and milk to the pot. Stir occasionally so nothing burns on the bottom. After 10-20 minutes the potatoes should be cooked and falling apart a bit to the touch. Pour the pot's contents through a colander to separate the broth from the solids. If using live clams, mix the bowl of drippings you saved in Step 4 with the broth now.
Pour the broth into a blender and blend on high until well mixed, no more than 3 minutes. This emulsifies our broth, ensuring we don't end up with any separation of fat and heavy cream in the next stage.
Pour the blended mixture back into the pot, then add the strained solids, bacon, heavy cream, and clams. Bring to a gentle simmer. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and Old Bay. Your chowder is now ready to serve.

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