Best Seattles Best Clam Chowder Recipes

CONTEST-WINNING NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove to paper towels to drain; set aside. Saute celery and onion in the drippings until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the potatoes, water, clam juice, bouillon, pepper and thyme. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, until potatoes are tender, 15-20 minutes., In a small bowl, combine flour and 1 cup half-and-half until smooth. Gradually stir into soup. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened, 1-2 minutes., Stir in clams and remaining half-and-half; heat through (do not boil). Crumble the cooked bacon; sprinkle over each serving.

MY BEST CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Drain juice from clams into a large skillet over the onions, celery, potatoes and carrots. Add water to cover, and cook over medium heat until tender.
• Meanwhile, in a large, heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Whisk in cream and stir constantly until thick and smooth. Stir in vegetables and clam juice. Heat through, but do not boil.
• Stir in clams just before serving. If they cook too much they get tough. When clams are heated through, stir in vinegar, and season with salt and pepper.

SEATTLE'S BEST CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Dice up bacon into small pieces and render in a large stock pot over med-low heat.
• Once bacon has started to turn brown, add the onions and sprinkle with the 1 oz of salt.
• Once the onions get soft and start to turn brown, add the leaks and celery, turn up the heat to med-high and sauté for a couple of minutes until they get tender.
• Add the potatoes, clam base, chopped clams, clam juice, and the thyme.
• Bring to a low simmer, and maintain the simmer until the potatoes are cooked.
• Add the heavy cream and bring to a gentle boil.
• When it starts to boil, add the roux 2 oz at a time, letting the chowder come back to a boil before adding more roux. Make sure you are stirring the entire time here.
• When all the roux is added or the chowder reaches the thickness you like, add the remaining salt and pepper to your taste.
• Please taste it before you add any additional seasoning. Don't add it all just because it lists it in the ingredients. I put the numbers in because I had to and I don't remember just how much to add.
• I recommend serving with some good thick sliced sourdough bread and a few drops of green Tabasco sauce.

THE SEAGRILLE RESTAURANT CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Place clams and 16 cups water in a very large stockpot over medium-high heat. Cover and cook until clams have opened. Drain, reserving liquid, and discarding any unopened clams. Remove clams from shells, discarding shells. Coarsely chop clams and set aside.
• Heat bacon and butter in a second very large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add onions and celery; stir to coat. Add flour and cook, stirring, until thickened, 5 to 6 minutes. Add thyme and stir to combine.
• Add reserved clam cooking liquid and bay leaves; season with Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce, and pepper. Add heavy cream; let simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Add potatoes; let simmer 15 to 20 minutes. Add reserved chopped clams and cook until just heated through.
• Serve hot with oyster crackers.

THE BEST CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Put the clams in a large, heavy Dutch oven, add about 4 cups water, then set over medium-high heat. Cover, and cook until clams have opened, approximately 10 to 15 minutes. (Clams that fail to open after 15 to 20 minutes should be discarded.) Strain clam broth through a sieve lined with cheesecloth or doubled-up paper towels, and set aside. Remove clams from shells, and set aside as well.
• Rinse out the pot, and return it to the stove. Add butter, and turn heat to medium-low. Add bacon or salt pork, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fat has rendered and the pork has started to brown, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove pork from fat, and set aside.
• Add the leeks to the fat, and cook, stirring frequently, until they are soft but not brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in potatoes and wine, and continue cooking until wine has evaporated and the potatoes have just started to soften, approximately 5 minutes. Add enough clam broth to just cover the potatoes, approximately 3 cups, reserving the rest for another use. Add the thyme and the bay leaf.
• Partly cover the pot, and simmer gently until potatoes are tender, approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, chop the clams into bits about the size of the bacon dice.
• When potatoes are tender, add cream and stir in chopped clams and reserved bacon. Add black pepper to taste. Let come to a simmer, and remove from heat. (Do not let chowder come to a full boil.) Fish out the thyme and the bay leaf, and discard.
• The chowder should be allowed to sit for a while to cure. Reheat it to a bare simmer before serving, then garnish with chopped parsley. Serve with oyster crackers.