Wilmas Clam Chowder Recipes

CLAM CHOWDER RECIPE

Steps:

• In a heavy bottomed soup pot or dutch oven, Saute chopped bacon over med/high heat until browned, then remove with a slotted spoon and set aside on paper towels. You should have about 3-4 Tbsp bacon fat in the pot; remove extra fat if you wish, but I left it in ;).
• In the same pot with bacon fat add in 2 sliced carrots, 2 stalks celery (diced), 1 small onion (finely diced) and saute over med/high until soft and golden (7-8 min). Sprinkle with 4 Tbsp flour and stir to combine. Sautee another minute.
• Stir in 2 cups chicken broth, 1 bay leaf, 1/2 tsp tabasco, 2 cans chopped clams with juice, 1 1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce, 1/2 tsp thyme, 1/4 tsp pepper, and about 1 to 1 1/2 tsp salt or to taste. Bring to a light boil.
• Add 1 1/2 lbs cubed potatoes, 1 cup heavy cream and 2 cups milk. Stir to combine, cover and lightly boil until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork, stirring occasionally (17-20 mins). It will thicken as it cools. If it's too thick, you can add a little milk to thin it out.
• To serve, garnish with your browned bacon, finely chopped cilantro (cilantro takes it to the next level) and serve with crackers or crusty bread.

MY BEST CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Drain juice from clams into a large skillet over the onions, celery, potatoes and carrots. Add water to cover, and cook over medium heat until tender.
• Meanwhile, in a large, heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Whisk in cream and stir constantly until thick and smooth. Stir in vegetables and clam juice. Heat through, but do not boil.
• Stir in clams just before serving. If they cook too much they get tough. When clams are heated through, stir in vinegar, and season with salt and pepper.

CONTEST-WINNING NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove to paper towels to drain; set aside. Saute celery and onion in the drippings until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the potatoes, water, clam juice, bouillon, pepper and thyme. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, until potatoes are tender, 15-20 minutes., In a small bowl, combine flour and 1 cup half-and-half until smooth. Gradually stir into soup. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened, 1-2 minutes., Stir in clams and remaining half-and-half; heat through (do not boil). Crumble the cooked bacon; sprinkle over each serving.

THE BEST CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Put the clams in a large, heavy Dutch oven, add about 4 cups water, then set over medium-high heat. Cover, and cook until clams have opened, approximately 10 to 15 minutes. (Clams that fail to open after 15 to 20 minutes should be discarded.) Strain clam broth through a sieve lined with cheesecloth or doubled-up paper towels, and set aside. Remove clams from shells, and set aside as well.
• Rinse out the pot, and return it to the stove. Add butter, and turn heat to medium-low. Add bacon or salt pork, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fat has rendered and the pork has started to brown, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove pork from fat, and set aside.
• Add the leeks to the fat, and cook, stirring frequently, until they are soft but not brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in potatoes and wine, and continue cooking until wine has evaporated and the potatoes have just started to soften, approximately 5 minutes. Add enough clam broth to just cover the potatoes, approximately 3 cups, reserving the rest for another use. Add the thyme and the bay leaf.
• Partly cover the pot, and simmer gently until potatoes are tender, approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, chop the clams into bits about the size of the bacon dice.
• When potatoes are tender, add cream and stir in chopped clams and reserved bacon. Add black pepper to taste. Let come to a simmer, and remove from heat. (Do not let chowder come to a full boil.) Fish out the thyme and the bay leaf, and discard.
• The chowder should be allowed to sit for a while to cure. Reheat it to a bare simmer before serving, then garnish with chopped parsley. Serve with oyster crackers.