New England clam chowder
A thick, comforting soup of clams, potatoes, and milk, sprinkled with crackers. The quintessential evening dish on the Atlantic coast, simple to prepare for someone who, like her, cooked little but loved the taste of the sea.
A thick, comforting soup of clams, potatoes, and milk, sprinkled with crackers. The quintessential evening dish on the Atlantic coast, simple to prepare for someone who, like her, cooked little but loved the taste of the sea.
When I came home from the tidal flats with my arms full of clams, my feet still cold from the tide water, nothing beat this steaming chowder by the window. You see, the secret is not in the cream but in the clam juice itself — save it carefully, it's the whole ocean speaking in the pot. I let it simmer gently, without boiling, because milk curdles if you rush it, like so many things in nature that cannot abide haste. A handful of crumbled crackers on top, and supper was served.
- •Fresh clams (quahogs or steamers) — a full bucket gathered at low tide (main ingredient, iodine)
- •Salt pork — one piece (cooking fat, smoky)
- •Onion — one, minced (aromatic base)
- •Potatoes — a few, diced (body, thickener)
- •Whole milk — a large pitcher (creaminess)
- •Common crackers — a handful (thickener and garnish)
New England clam chowder
A thick, comforting soup of clams, potatoes, and milk, sprinkled with crackers. The quintessential evening dish on the Atlantic coast, simple to prepare for someone who, like her, cooked little but loved the taste of the sea.
Why this dish? Rachel Carson particularly appreciated fish and seafood after discovering the coast, and she spent her summers on Southport Island, Maine. Creamy clam chowder is THE domestic dish of coastal New England where she lived and observed the tidal flats.
When I came home from the tidal flats with my arms full of clams, my feet still cold from the tide water, nothing beat this steaming chowder by the window. You see, the secret is not in the cream but in the clam juice itself — save it carefully, it's the whole ocean speaking in the pot. I let it simmer gently, without boiling, because milk curdles if you rush it, like so many things in nature that cannot abide haste. A handful of crumbled crackers on top, and supper was served.
Ingredients (period version)
- Fresh clams (quahogs or steamers) — a full bucket gathered at low tide (main ingredient, iodine)
- Salt pork — one piece (cooking fat, smoky)
- Onion — one, minced (aromatic base)
- Potatoes — a few, diced (body, thickener)
- Whole milk — a large pitcher (creaminess)
- Common crackers — a handful (thickener and garnish)
Ingredients
- Fresh clams (or 2 cans clams + juice) — 1 kg fresh (main ingredient)
- Smoked pork belly or bacon — 80 g, diced (fat, smoky)
- Onion — 1 large, minced (aromatic)
- Firm-fleshed potatoes — 400 g, diced (body)
- Whole milk — 500 ml (creaminess)
- Heavy cream — 100 ml (richness)
- Plain crackers or saltines — a handful (garnish)
- Butter, pepper, thyme — to taste (seasoning)
Method
- Steam open the fresh clams in a little water; remove the meat and STRAIN the cooking liquid carefully (reserve it).
- In a pot, render the bacon until golden, then sweat the onion in the fat.
- Add the diced potatoes and the strained clam juice; add just enough water to cover and cook until potatoes are tender.
- Pour in the milk and cream, add the chopped clam meat, and heat gently WITHOUT boiling (or the milk will curdle).
- Season with pepper and thyme (little salt: the juice is already briny), add a pat of butter.
- Serve hot, sprinkled with crumbled crackers.
How it was made : In the 19th and early 20th centuries, chowder was cooked in a large cast-iron pot on a wood stove, using salt pork preserved all winter and clams freely gathered from the tidal flats. New England "common crackers," hard and dry, were crumbled directly into the bowl to thicken the soup — an older practice than using flour.
The contemporary twist : Serve the chowder in a hollowed-out round loaf of country bread (bread bowl), seaside style, with a sprig of fresh dill.
Sources : Imogene Wolcott, The Yankee Cook Book (1939) · Fannie Farmer, The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book
Rachel Carson · Charactorium