A comforting seaside favourite loved for its creamy, hearty flavours and satisfying textures, particularly when prepared with tender, skin-on baby potatoes. Serve with sourdough bread to mop up your bowls.
Ingredients for 4-6 people:
- 1kg fresh clams, washed
- 125ml dry white wine
- 40g butter
- 75g smoked bacon or pancetta, cut in cubes
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 2 celery sticks, finely sliced
- 1 leek, finely chopped
- 1 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 bay leaf
- 225g new or baby potatoes, skin on, cut in small cubes
- 300ml whole milk
- 200ml double cream
- Bunch fresh parsley, chopped
- Extra virgin olive oil, for garnish
- 1 lemon, for garnish
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Method:
1. In a large pan with 250ml of boiling water, add the clams and them splash with the white wine, then cover to cook them until they have opened, about 4 minutes. Drain the water into another pan or bowl using a colander. Discard any clams that have not opened and remove the meat of half the opened shells, keeping the other half in their shells. Cover and set aside.
3. In a large deep pan, melt the butter, then cook the bacon, shallot, garlic, leek and celery until soft. Sprinkle the flower on top and let cook until it just starts to brown to make a roux, about a minute. Pour in the water reserved from cooking the clams and whisk until you get a smooth thick consistency. Add the milk, cream, bay leaf and potatoes, bring to the boil then turn down the heat and cover to simmer for 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are tender.
4. Add the clam meat and shells to the pan, season with sea salt and black pepper to taste and crush some potatoes if the consistency is too liquid. Stir the chowder. gently.
5. Serve the chowder in deep bowls, garnishing each bowl with the clams in the shell you reserved and a lemon wedge, before sprinkling chopped parsley and giving it a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, plus some black pepper to taste. Serve with sourdough bread.
6. Enjoy!
