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 Ask
the WebChef
Alice
asks:
Q.
When
visiting California, I ate at the Fishhopper
Restaurant on Pier 39. There I had the best clam
chowder! Would you happen to have the
recipe?
Chef
Stephen Block had this answer for Alice:
A.
Why
Clam Chowder? Why not shrimp, scallops or crab?
Somehow it is just good!
"A
New England clam chowder, made as it should be, is
a dish to preach about, to chant praises and sing
hymns and burn incense before. To fight for. The
Battle of Bunker Hill was fought for - or on - clam
chowder; part of it at least, I am sure it was. It
is as American as the Stars and Stripes, as
patriotic as the national Anthem. It is 'Yankee
Doodle in a kettle.'" - Joseph C. Lincoln
The
clam thrived along the New England shores well in
advance of the Pilgrims' arrival and also before
the introduction of chowder. The clam's vital
protein helped save the Pilgrims in their first
winter at Plymouth (Letters from the Pilgrims
mention clams and mussels as food that was "at our
doors.")
In
his book "Cod," Mark Kurlansky presents the case
for English, Cornish or French fishermen as the
creators of fish "chowder," the forerunner of clam
chowder. The case for the French is based on the
large iron pot, a chaudiere, that was
standard equipment on their fishing boats. It is an
easy jump from chaudiere to chowder. Clam chowder
has been made a national tradition celebrated every
Friday nearly everywhere in the states since
colonial times.
While I
don't know what the Fish Hopper restaurant uses for
their recipe, I can say after years of making clam
chowder in the restaurant that I know how to create
that satisfying flavor that makes this soup unique.
The recipe needs not be monkeyed with too much.
Some recipes are better when not improved on very
much and clam chowder is one. The clam flavor is
delicate and gets lost easily with too much starchy
thickening, herbs, seasoning or bacon flavor. My
chef friends and I, will rant about the awful
recipes that we see being served today, and one we
joke about is the "white mud" that they call clam
chowder. Although a nice thick soup can be
satisfying, we have found you will lose the clam
flavor that distinguishes it from potato soup, and
has made it a national icon celebrated every Friday
in most of the states since colonial times. Even
Melville wrote of its curiously satisfying
qualities in his book Moby Dick.
I have
talked with chefs that have their secret recipe
which people flock to every Friday, even calling
ahead to reserve their bowls. I have found that
their recipes do not change much. The formula is
easy to achieve a silky smooth stock with that rich
clam flavor. Good chunks of potato, chewy clams and
some onion and celery. Most of the chefs I know
feel that without the whipping cream, it doesn't
have the pizzaz that they like, but I think it
still has plenty of clam charisma without it. Sure
enough, my searching on the web showed that most of
the clam chowder recipes from featured restaurants,
are very close to the following recipe.
This
recipe is adapted from my Grandmother's recipe
which I modified for the restaurant with the
secrets I learned from my years of chefing:
New
England Clam Chowder
1/4
lb. bacon, chopped
4 large potatoes, peeled and diced (or red or
white-skinned potatoes work well unpeeled)
2 Tbs. butter
1 1/2 C. chopped onions
1 C. chopped celery (about 3 ribs)
1/2 teaspoon whole thyme (dried or powdered can
also be used)
2-6 oz. cans chopped clams
3 C. milk
1 C. cream (substitute milk if desired)
1 C. bottled clam juice (water if not
available)
Salt and pepper to taste.
2 T. flour or cornstarch, mixed with 1/2 C.
water
- Brown
the bacon in a large Dutch oven sized pan.
Remove bacon, leaving drippings in pan.
- Add
onions and celery, simmering them in drippings
to partially cook. Add flour ; stir in and cook
for 1 minute.
- Add
potatoes and liquid from the 2 cans of clams
(reserve clams to be added later, as they
toughen with cooking). Clam juice or water, 2
Tbs. butter, salt and pepper.
- Stir
over medium heat till potatoes are tender.
- Add
milk, clams, and bacon.
If
you desire a thicker chowder add the extra flour or
cornstarch paste to to the chowder when it is done
and let it simmer for 1 minute.
Serving
suggestion: Cut a lid out of a small round loaf
of sourdough bread like you do a pumpkin. Hollow
out most of the bread. Toast lightly in the oven
and serve the soup in the bread bowl.
Here
is another of my Grandmothers tricks that is quick
and makes a great QUICK CHOWDER
For
the diced potatoes and chopped onions,
substitute:
1
pkg. (32 oz.) frozen cube-style Hash Brown
Potatoes
1 Pkg. (12 oz.) frozen chopped onions.
Follow
the above directions for Clam Chowder, substituting
the frozen ingredients for the fresh ones.
The
Practical Kitchen would like to thank Chef Stephen
for answering Alice's question.
 About
Stephen Block:
The
Kitchen
Project
was developed by Mr. Stephen Block, a professional
chef and restaurateur from Bend, Oregon. Mr. Block
has won awards for his culinary skills and has
always enjoyed sharing the joys of cooking and
dining with others. After Stephen graduated from
Culinary School he went on to own his own
restaurant. He has co-authored a book on German
Cooking and has taught cooking classes for kids. He
is currently employed at Mrs. Beasley's restaurant
in Redmond, Oregon. He is married with 3 wonderful
children. Chef Stephen's life's work includes
helping others produce interesting and unique
cooking related projects.
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