EATS: New England Clam Chowder Recipe
Whether it’s a rainy summer afternoon like we had today in Southampton or a cool autumn evening, New England Clam Chowder is a year round favorite. My New England Clam Chowder Recipe doesn’t call for a lot of herbs and spices. It is simple and really celebrates the flavor of the clams, the delicious simplicity of creamy potatoes and of course a little kick of spice from fresh ground black pepper. Another ingredient that sets my New England clam chowder apart from a lot of other recipes, is a few shakes of Tabasco sauce. I love it because it gives acid and just a little bit of heat beneath those traditional creamy flavors.
New England Clam Chowder Ingredients
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 celery stalks, quartered lengthwise, cubed. Set tender celery leaves aside to chop and serve as garnish on your finished Clam Chowder
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups water
4 6.5 ounce cans of chopped clams + juice
8 fl ounces of clam juice
1 cup heavy cream
2 large russet potatoes, cut into 1/2- inch cubes
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6-8 shakes of Tabasco
New England Clam Chowder Instructions
place butter in a large sauté pan over medium high heat
add onions and celery and sweat out for approxiamately 4 minutes (until onions reach a nice translucent color, try to avoid any browning)
add all purpose flour and incorporate evenly with the onions and celery
add a few grinds of black pepper
next, add clam juice, clams with clam juice, and one cup of water to the mixture. bring to a boil
drop potatoes into the mixture. bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer allowing the potatoes to cook until soft. add another cup of water. cooking potatoes until soft will take approximately 12 minutes. note: be sure to stir occasionally to keep potatoes from sticking to the bottom of the pan and burning
after the potatoes are soft, bring soup to a boil again and add the cream, stirring all ingredients together
reduce to simmer and add more fresh ground black pepper
finally, add a few shakes of Tabasco sauce to the clam chowder for some acid and just a little bit of heat
ladle clam chowder into bowls and top with chopped celery leaves and oyster crackers
