Chuck's Clam Chowder
Submitted by bedard
Chuck’s New England clam chowder layers tender chopped clams, potatoes, and celery into a silky roux-thickened half-and-half broth finished with a splash of sherry. Classic Yankee comfort in a bowl.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
45 minREADY
1 hrsNew England clam chowder is a dish where shortcuts show up in the bowl. This version doesn’t take them. Chuck builds it like the old Cape Cod shacks did: celery and onions first sautéed in butter, chicken stock and clam liquor for depth, potatoes simmered in their skins, and a proper flour-butter roux whisked into warm half-and-half to thicken the chowder without curdling the dairy.
The technique that sets this apart is adding the clam meat near the end. Clams toughen into rubber bands when they boil too long, so they go in for just two minutes before the milk sauce joins. That quick cook warms them through without drying them out.
The sherry finish is a Yankee tradition and a quiet revelation. A quarter cup of dry sherry stirred in during the last two minutes cuts through the richness and brings out the sweetness of the clams. Skip it and you have a fine chowder. Add it and you have something people remember.
Chef Tips
- Warm the milk before adding the roux. Cold cream hitting hot roux can break into a grainy mess.
- Leave the skins on the potatoes. They hold their shape better and add rustic color.
- Reserve the clam juice when shucking. That briny liquid is the soul of the broth and you want every drop.
- Taste before salting. Clam juice and chicken broth both carry salt; you may not need any more.
Variations
- Stir in cooked bacon or salt pork for a smokier old-school chowder.
- Add a pinch of cayenne for warmth without bold heat.
- Substitute fresh scallops or mussels for half the clams if you want a mixed seafood chowder.
Ingredients
Directions
Sauté celery and onions in 2 tablespoons of butter for 10 minutes until opaque.
Add to chicken stock.
Add the juice only from the clams reserving the meat.
Bring to a heavy simmer and add pepper and thyme.
Add the potatoes with skin on and simmer until cooked but still firm.
While the potatoes are cooking in the soup, warm the milk.
Make a roux with the butter and flour and when cooked, add to the milk off heat.
Stir and return to the heat and stir until thickened.
Set aside. When the potatoes are just tender, add the clam meat, cook for 2 minutes then add the milk sauce.
Simmer for 8 minutes then add the sherry.
Simmer for 2 minutes more, garnish with parsley and serve.
Comments
