Duke's Clam Chowder
Submitted by krista042
Thick, creamy New England-style clam chowder loaded with bacon, new potatoes, and tender chopped clams in a herb-rich cream base. Finished with fresh dill and parsley for a bowl that tastes like the coast.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
20 minREADY
40 minThis is the kind of chowder that makes you close your eyes and feel the salt air, even if you’re landlocked.
Diced bacon renders down with butter, celery, and onion, then gets layered with basil, marjoram, thyme, and Italian seasoning for an herby backbone that lifts the whole bowl.
Heavy cream and half-and-half meet clam nectar and clam concentrate to build a broth that’s impossibly rich but still tastes distinctly of the sea.
Blanched new potatoes and chopped clams go in at the end, so nothing gets overcooked. A final hit of fresh dill and parsley brightens every spoonful.
Chef’s Tips
- Don’t boil the cream base. Heat it to just under boiling and keep it there. A full boil can cause the cream to break and turn grainy.
- Use clam concentrate if you can find it. It punches up the briny clam flavor without adding too much liquid. Extra clam nectar works as a substitute.
- Add the clams last and cook only 2-3 minutes. Overcooked clams turn rubbery fast.
Ingredients
Directions
- Blanch the potatoes in boiling water for 5 minutes, or until tender.
Drain and set aside.
- Cook bacon until transparent. Add butter, celery, onion, basil, marjoram, italian seasoning, thyme, bay leaves, garlic and peppers to taste.
Cook until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in the flour and cook over low heat, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the cream, half and half, clam nectar and concentrate.
Heat to just under boiling.
- Add potatoes and chopped clams. Bring to slow boil and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
Discard bay leaves.
Stir in dill and parsley; serve.
Makes 8 servings.
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