I love good clam chowder, never made it, i would love the best recipe, thank you all, jack?

Answer 1

Get the Progresso New England clam chowder. It is the best I have found and just needs to be heated. I add a bit of parsley and black pepper before heating. Really good with oyster crackers.

Answer 2

Which kind? Manhattan clam chowder or New England Clam Chowder? Or Both ?
4 slices double smoked bacon, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 dozen quahogs or chowder clams, scrubbed and soaked to remove dirt
1/2 cup white wine
3 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, roughly chopped
2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
1 link chorizo, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
8 medium tomatoes, seeded and pureed
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 bunch fresh parsley, leaves chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 dozen littleneck clams, scrubbed and soaked to remove dirt

In a large pot, cook the bacon over medium heat until the fat is rendered and the meat beginning to crisp, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon from the pot and reserve.

Add one-third of the garlic and the lemon juice to the bacon drippings and cook until the garlic is fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the quahogs, 2 1/2 cups water and the wine and bring to a simmer. Cover the pot and steam the clams until they open, about 10 minutes. Remove the clams from the pot. Strain the broth and reserve. Take the clams from their shells, chop them and set aside.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large saucepot over a medium flame. Add the onion, celery, remaining garlic, and chorizo and cook until the onion is translucent, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir the flour into the pot. Cook the onion and flour mixture for several minutes then add the clam broth and bring to a simmer, stirring until smooth. Add the tomatoes and sugar, stir well to incorporate, then toss in the pepper flakes, thyme, and parsley. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cover and cook at a low simmer until the broth is flavorful, 20 to 30 minutes.

Ten minutes before serving, add the littleneck clams and bacon to the soup. Cover and steam until the clams open, about 8 minutes. Add the reserved chopped clams. Stir well, season again, if needed, with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, and serve immediately.
It is difficult to find a good Manhattan clam chowder in cans.

Answer 3

8 pounds small quahogs or large cherrystone clams, scrubbed and rinsed, opened clams discarded
4 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups finely chopped yellow onions
1 cup finely chopped celery
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
6 sprigs fresh thyme leaves
2 bay leaves
3 cups 1/2-inch cubed, peeled potatoes, about 1 1/4 pounds
2 cups heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1 1/2-teaspoon pieces
1/4 cup minced parsley leaves
1/4 cup finely chopped chives or green onions

In a large stockpot bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add clams, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Uncover, quickly stir clams with a wooden spoon. Cover and cook 5 to 10 minutes longer (this will depend on the type and size of clams you are using), or until most of the clams are opened.

Transfer the clams to a large bowl or baking dish and strain the broth twice through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, being careful to strain out the sand. (You should have about 6 cups of clam broth. If not, add enough water to bring the volume up to 6 cups.) When the clams are cool enough to handle, remove them from their shells and chop into 1/2-inch pieces. Set clams and broth aside.

In a large heavy pot cook the bacon until crisp and the fat is rendered. Pour off all bacon fat except 2 tablespoons. Add the butter, onions and celery and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme and bay leaves, and cook until the vegetables are thoroughly wilted, about 3 minutes, being careful not to brown. Add the potatoes and reserved clam broth, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the broth thickens slightly and the potatoes are very tender. (If you like a thicker broth, mash some of the potatoes against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon.) Remove from the heat, stir in clams and heavy cream and season with pepper and salt, if necessary.

Set aside for 1 hour, covered, to allow the flavors to marry. Place the pot over low heat, and slowly reheat, being careful not to bring to the boil. Serve hot, garnished with 1 or 2 pats of butter, parsley and chives.

Answer 4

CLAM CHOWDER
Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.
1 slice of lean bacon, chopped
1 small onion, chopped fine
1 rib of celery, chopped fine
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups milk
a 10-ounce can whole baby clams including the liquor or two 6 1/2-ounce cans minced clams including the liquor
1/2 pound potatoes
1/4 cup chopped scallion greens



In a heavy saucepan cook the bacon, the onion, and the celery in the butter over moderately low heat, stirring, until the celery is softened, add the milk, the clams with the liquor, and the potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces, and simmer the chowder, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are very tender. Stir in the scallion greens and salt and pepper to taste.

Makes about 4 cups, serving 2.



NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER
Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.
3 ounces salt pork, rind discarded and the salt pork cut crosswise into
1/4-inch strips
1 onion, chopped
2 small red potatoes
1 cup water
25 shucked medium hard-shelled clams, reserving 3/4 cup liquor,
chopped*
1 1/2 cups half-and-half, scalded

*If shucked fresh clams are not available, a 6 1/2-ounce can minced clams, drained, and 3/4 cup bottle clam juice may be substituted.




Rinse the salt pork and pat it dry. In a heavy saucepan sauté the salt pork over moderately high heat, stirring, until it is golden, transfer it with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain, and pour off all but 1 1/2 tablespoons of the fat. In the fat remaining in the pan cook the onion over moderately low heat, stirring, until it is softened and stir in the potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, and the water. Simmer the mixture, covered, for 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are just tender, and boil it, uncovered, for 12 minutes, or until most of the liquid is evaporated. Stir in the clams and the reserved liquor and simmer the mixture for 2 minutes. Stir the half-and-half and the salt pork into the clam mixture and season the chowder with salt and pepper.

Makes about 4 cups, serving 2.



STEAMER CLAM CHOWDER

5 pounds small to medium soft-shell clams (steamers)
2 cups water
4 ounces meaty salt pork, rind removed and cut into 1/3-inch dice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion (10 to 12 ounces), cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 stalks celery (4 ounces), cut into 1/3-inch dice
2 to 3 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed and chopped (1 teaspoon)
2 dried bay leaves
1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold, Maine, PEI, or other all-purpose potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 1/2 cups heavy cream (or up to 2 cups if desired)
Freshly ground black pepper
Kosher or sea salt, if needed
For garnish
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives




1. Fill two large pots (or two sinks) with cold water. Place the clams in one pot of water, discarding any dead ones or clams with cracked shells. Gently move them around in the water and let them soak for a few minutes, then lift them out and place them in the other pot of cold water. Rinse the first pot and fill it again. Move the clams around again, then transfer them back to the clean pot. Continue to switch the clams back and forth, letting them soak for a few minutes each time, and then lifting them out of the pot, until the water remains crystal clear. The process should take four or five soakings.
2. Put the 2 cups water in an 8-quart pot, cover, and bring to a rolling boil. Quickly but gently place the clams in the pot and cover again. After 4 minutes, remove the lid and quickly stir the clams with a wooden spoon, trying to lift some of the clams from the bottom to the top so they will cook evenly — but be gentle, the shells are very brittle and crack easily. Cover and continue to steam for another 4 to 5 minutes. (The broth will most likely overflow just as the clams have finished cooking.) All the clams should be open; if not, steam them a minute or two longer. Remove the clams and strain the broth; you should have 4 cups.

3. When the clams are cool, remove them from the shells and cut off the siphons, as well as the protective skin that covers each siphon, and discard. (You should have about 1 pound of clam meat.) Cover and refrigerate until later.

4. Heat a 4- to 6-quart heavy pot over low heat and add the diced salt pork. Once it has rendered a few tablespoons of fat, increase the heat to medium and cook until the pork is crisp and golden brown. With a slotted spoon, transfer the cracklings to a small ovenproof dish, leaving the fat in the pot, and reserve until later.

5. Add the butter, onion, celery, thyme, and bay leaves to the pot and sauté, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, for about 10 minutes, until the vegetables are softened but not browned.

6. Add the potatoes and the reserved clam broth. The broth should just barely cover the potatoes; if it doesn't, add enough water to cover them. Turn up the heat and bring to a boil, cover, and cook the potatoes vigorously for about 10 minutes, or until they are soft on the outside but still firm in the center. If the broth hasn't thickened lightly, smash a few potatoes against the side of the pot and cook a minute or two longer to release the starch.

7. Remove the pot from the heat. Stir in the clams and the cream and season to taste with black pepper and possibly a pinch of salt (the saltiness of steamers varies). If you are not serving the chowder within the hour, let it cool a bit, then refrigerate; cover the chowder after it has chilled completely. Otherwise, let it sit at room temperature for up to an hour, allowing the flavors to meld.

8. When ready to serve, reheat the chowder over low heat; don't let it boil. Try not to stir too often, because you don't want to break open the clam bellies. Warm the cracklings in a low oven (200°F) for a few minutes.

9. Ladle the chowder into cups or bowls, making sure that the steamers, onions, and potatoes are evenly divided. Scatter the cracklings over the individual servings and sprinkle with the chopped parsley and minced chives.

Cook's Notes
Soft-shell clams are native to the Atlantic seaboard from Cape Hatteras to the Arctic Ocean, but they have been transplanted to the West Coast and can be found there from San Francisco to Vancouver, Canada. The best steamers are found at lobster or other seafood vendors along the coast, who keep them in tanks. The constant flow of water purges them of most of their sand, making them very easy to clean. You can have fresh soft-shell clams shipped directly to you*, but they are very delicate — expect to find many with cracked shells. Buy the smallest steamers possible; the very large ones are even more delicate and their bellies break open easily, giving the chowder an undesirable green tinge.

If you have been fortunate enough to find really small steamers, you have the option of leaving the siphon attached, but you will have to peel the skin off it. With large soft-shell clams, the siphon is very chewy and must be removed, but with small ones, it's less noticeable and the little specks of black at the tip give an unusual and interesting appearance to the chowder.

For equipment, you will need an 8-quart pot with a tight fitting lid (for steaming open the clams), a wooden spoon, a fine-mesh strainer, a 4- to 6-quart heavy pot with a lid (for the chowder), a slotted spoon, and a ladle.

* Steamers are available by mail order from Captain Marden's Seafoods, Inc. [phone].

Makes about 11 cups; serves 10 to 12 as a first course or 6 to 8 as a main course.