How to make the best clam chowder?

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steve8

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New member here and looking forward to getting/sharing info.

I make a pretty good New England clam chowder but not as good as I'd like it to be, so looking for suggestions.

I use a common recipe starting with bacon, then flour, potatoes, onions, celery, clam juice, canned clams, cream etc.
I have used clams from a fish store also but I have heard canned clams are fine and I can't remember any big difference when using the real thing.
I have never actually cooked my own clams, but if that's a beneficial difference I certainly would.
So what am I missing?
Thanks,
Steve
 
What exactly do you think could be better about it??

Anyway, chowder is very simple.

It goes: Cook minced bacon or salt pork till crispy. Remove. Add onion, cook until soft. Then add flour, mix it up with the onions. In go the potatoes and the clam broth and/or fish stock. Stir to make sure the flour is incorporated. Simmer until the potatoes are cooked. Mash up some of the potatoes to thicken. Add the cream, the bacon/pork and the clams.

I always use fresh clams. I think canned clams are nasty, sorry.

It does take an additional step to cook and chop the clams, but then you get better clam broth from that step.

Here is a pretty go-to recipe: Legal Seafood's New England Clam Chowder Recipe - Food.com - 78835

I use less flour than called for.
 
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So true Jennyma. Canned clams are so nasty for true clam chowder. I don't use flour in mine. I prefer to add extra potatoes and mash them to thicken it. I also don't like mine too thick. And I use heavy cream. It really add a creaminess that you just can't get any other way.

Fresh clams are the only way to go. Take it from an old New Englander. The definitive expert on New England chowders though is Jasper White. He uses only salt pork in his chowders and seafood stews. And no flour. He thickens his chowders the same as I do.

You should be able to buy clams in the shell at your supermarket. When you go to steam them, make sure every one is closed. Tap any open ones and if the fail to close, get rid of it. It is already dead. Place them in a pot with just a couple of inches of water. Place a lid on the pot and steam them from simmering point for only a couple of minutes or until all the clams are open. Once opened, they are cooked. If you cook them for too long, they will be very tough. If any fail to open, get rid of that one. Bad one. You don't want to take a chance on eating any dead or bad clams. You will regret it.

As soon as all the clams are open, remove from heat and remove clams from the shell trying to catch any liquid in the shells. Strain the broth in the pot through a cheese cloth or coffee filter. I happen to like the whole clam. Including the intestinal tract. Some folks don't. If you are of the former, then soak the clams in heavily salted water. In fresh water, they will drown and die. Leave for about eight hours. It will cause the clams to purge their innards of waste material. Then they are pure enough to include in any chowder. I like to leave them whole. Some like to chop them up.

If you really enjoy chowders head to your local library and find Jasper's cookbook on chowders. You won't be sorry.

And welcome to DC. :angel:
 
This guy I knew used to make clam chowder using fresh clams. He would strain the juice through a pair of his wife's panty hose. Maybe that's the step you are missing :angel:
 
This guy I knew used to make clam chowder using fresh clams. He would strain the juice through a pair of his wife's panty hose. Maybe that's the step you are missing :angel:

Good grief! I hope they were old not being used any more and washed a number of times before he got his hands on them. Why not just use a coffee filter? Doesn't every household have some of them hanging around? They are great at catching all the sand.
 
Good grief! I hope they were old not being used any more and washed a number of times before he got his hands on them. Why not just use a coffee filter? Doesn't every household have some of them hanging around? They are great at catching all the sand.

No, not every household had/has coffee filters hanging around. Especially back in the day of perculated coffee.
 
sometimes wearing panty hose, sometimes not... :angel:

you should check the dinner thread first.

:mrgreen:
 
I got the strangest looks when buying 2 pair womens panty hose at a garage sale, and the best part is they were only a nickel a pair. (I forgot to look if there were high heels in my size that day. :ohmy: ) I use them cut off and clamp on the ends of the washing machine drain hoses. Perfect.

I have found grit in the bottom of canned clams even. I am careful when I pour out the juice and its ok if there's still a little left in the bottom. I am not a purist, I use Canned Clams.
 
Okay, so I was discussing Clam Chowder here with some of you a few days ago.

I have never eaten a clam (canned or otherwise) in my life and this has put me off making a Clam Chowder up to now even though it looks so nice. I then discovered that finding any form of clams where I live was going to be a challenge in any case.

Today, however, I found tinned "baby clams". So I am good to go. :chef: (Sorry Addie, I really don't have any choice about the clams!)

I want my chowder to be quite thick and creamy, and I was assuming that it would also include sweetcorn* but that appears to be missing from the recipes here.

My questions are:

(1) My tinned clams are in "salted water" - should I discard that and just use fish stock instead?

(2) Is it a cardinal sin to put sweetcorn into a Clam Chowder? I can't see how it would ruin it....

(3) What is good to serve with a Chowder?


* by which I mean the kernels that you get from the corn cob, if that wasn't clear
 
If I was to make clam chowder, and I never have, I would not put corn in it. Corn is for corn chowder.
But if someone gave me some clam chowder that did have corn in it I'd eat it. It's just not something I'd expect to see. It might make your first experience with clams more enjoyable for you though.
 
If I was to make clam chowder, and I never have, I would not put corn in it. Corn is for corn chowder.
But if someone gave me some clam chowder that did have corn in it I'd eat it. It's just not something I'd expect to see. It might make your first experience with clams more enjoyable for you though.

So Corn Chowder is like a vegetarian version? (Using corn instead of the clams?)

How come you have never made it Pac?
 
So Corn Chowder is like a vegetarian version? (Using corn instead of the clams?)

How come you have never made it Pac?

I wouldn't say its a version, not of clam chowder anyway, it's just another chowder. I'll bet the ingredients are pretty similar except for the clams and the corn. But I really wouldn't know as I've never made either. I'm not a big soup maker unless I'm turning leftovers into something.
And truth be told, I love some of the storebought clam chowders. Campbells Select is it? Good stuff. For as often as I eat clam chowder that works for me.
 
I like to add some minced fresh rosemary to my chowder. Maybe 1 sprig for a batch of chowder.Rosemary,onion and celery are sweated with the potatoes in the bacon fat and deglazed with clam juice. I take the bacon out and add it back in with the milk later. I don't use cream and don't miss it much. If I do use it I only use a 1/2 pint. You can smash up some of the potatoes when soft to thicken the chowder if you want.Tobasco is used sometimes but I usually let people add there own at the table.

I serve warm Sourdough bread and butter with my chowder. A salad too.


I forgot to take something out for dinner tonight. I think chowder is on the menu now.
 
So Corn Chowder is like a vegetarian version? (Using corn instead of the clams?)

How come you have never made it Pac?

I guess it's a vegetarian version, although I never thought of it that way. Here's a recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/corn-chowder-recipe/index.html If you can't get fresh corn, I'd use frozen.

There's also corn and crab chowder: http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/soups/r/cornchowder.htm I know I'm spoiled here on the coast, but I can't imagine making this with canned crab.
 
The brand of canned clam makes a big difference. I used to use Snow's but now I buy large cans of Caravelle that I get at my asian market. They are cheaper,larger,meatier,tastier. 2 cans gives me PLENTY of clams and I don't have to buy extra juice.
 
Okay, so I was discussing Clam Chowder here with some of you a few days ago.

I have never eaten a clam (canned or otherwise) in my life and this has put me off making a Clam Chowder up to now even though it looks so nice. I then discovered that finding any form of clams where I live was going to be a challenge in any case.

Today, however, I found tinned "baby clams". So I am good to go. :chef: (Sorry Addie, I really don't have any choice about the clams!)

I want my chowder to be quite thick and creamy, and I was assuming that it would also include sweetcorn* but that appears to be missing from the recipes here.

My questions are:

(1) My tinned clams are in "salted water" - should I discard that and just use fish stock instead?

(2) Is it a cardinal sin to put sweetcorn into a Clam Chowder? I can't see how it would ruin it....

(3) What is good to serve with a Chowder?


* by which I mean the kernels that you get from the corn cob, if that wasn't clear

I take it you don't live near the coast!

The "tinned" clams. Is it sea water or water that has had salt water added to it. Take a taste. If it is too salty, toss it. If not, add it to the chowder.

Can you find clam juice in the bottle? I would think it is better than fish stock. Enhances the clam flavor.

Corn in clam chowder? You Heretic!

I have always since childhood had oysterette crackers with any chowder. They are very small round crackers similar to saltines in taste. Some nice soft high homemade biscuits smothered with butter would do very well also. :angel:
 
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