flipNew England clam chowder
New England clam chowder
Why this dish? Shepard grew up in East Derry, New Hampshire, in the heart of New England where clam chowder is the ultimate comfort food. It is the white, steaming soup of his childhood winters, just a few hours from the fishing ports of Maine and Massachusetts.
A thick, creamy soup with clams, potatoes, and smoked bacon: the comfort of the cold New England coasts, eaten in big ladlefuls with small crackers.
Back home in New Hampshire, when the northeast wind chilled you to the bone, my mother would set a pot of white chowder on the table. You'd break a few crackers into it, blow on your spoon, and suddenly winter seemed less harsh. Bacon, clams, potatoes, milk — nothing complicated, but it kept you warm while you shoveled snow. That's New England in a spoon.
- •Fresh clams — a good amount (central seafood, gives marine umami)
- •Smoked bacon — a few slices (fatty and smoky base)
- •Onion — 1 (aromatic)
- •Potatoes — a few (thickener and body)
- •Milk and cream — generous (creamy liquid)
- •Sea crackers — a handful (traditional crunchy garnish)
New England clam chowder
A thick, creamy soup with clams, potatoes, and smoked bacon: the comfort of the cold New England coasts, eaten in big ladlefuls with small crackers.
Why this dish? Shepard grew up in East Derry, New Hampshire, in the heart of New England where clam chowder is the ultimate comfort food. It is the white, steaming soup of his childhood winters, just a few hours from the fishing ports of Maine and Massachusetts.
Back home in New Hampshire, when the northeast wind chilled you to the bone, my mother would set a pot of white chowder on the table. You'd break a few crackers into it, blow on your spoon, and suddenly winter seemed less harsh. Bacon, clams, potatoes, milk — nothing complicated, but it kept you warm while you shoveled snow. That's New England in a spoon.
Ingredients (period version)
- Fresh clams — a good amount (central seafood, gives marine umami)
- Smoked bacon — a few slices (fatty and smoky base)
- Onion — 1 (aromatic)
- Potatoes — a few (thickener and body)
- Milk and cream — generous (creamy liquid)
- Sea crackers — a handful (traditional crunchy garnish)
Ingredients
- Fresh clams (or cockles) — 1 kg (or 400 g canned meat plus its juice) (seafood)
- Smoked pork belly — 80 g, cut into lardons (smoky base)
- Onion — 1, chopped (aromatic)
- Firm potatoes — 400 g, cubed (soup body)
- Whole milk — 500 ml (liquid)
- Heavy cream — 150 ml (creaminess)
- Flour — 1 tablespoon (light binder)
- Thyme, salt, pepper — to taste (seasoning)
- Plain crackers — for serving (garnish)
Method
- Open the fresh clams over high heat with a little water; reserve the meat and strain the cooking liquid.
- Sauté the lardons in a pot until golden, add the onion and thyme.
- Sprinkle with flour, stir, then pour in the clam juice and cubed potatoes; simmer until tender.
- Add the milk and cream, heat without boiling.
- Stir in the clam meat at the end, adjust salt and pepper, and serve piping hot with crumbled crackers.
How it was made : Chowder dates back to Atlantic coast fishermen: they simmered the day's catch with whatever was on board or in the larder — salt pork, ship's biscuits, milk. The 'New England' version is distinguished by its white dairy base, as opposed to the red tomato version of Manhattan.
The contemporary twist : Serve the chowder in a hollowed-out bread bowl, and stick a mini mission-style flag in it to amuse the kids.
Sources : Beard, James, 'American Cookery', 1972 · Oliver, Sandra L., 'Saltwater Foodways', Mystic Seaport, 1995
Alan Shepard · Charactorium
