California Clam Chowder Recipes

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.

Steps:

• In a small pot, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Once the butter is melted, slowly mix in the flour until you have a thick consistency. Set aside and keep warm until ready to use. This is the roux.
• In a 3-gallon stock pot, melt 4 tablespoons of butter. Once the butter is melted, add the garlic, celery, and onions along with the bay leaves, salt, and white pepper. Cook the mixture until it is lightly browned, stirring it occasionally. Add the clam juice, stir, and let it cook until it is moderately warm. Then add the potatoes and bring the chowder to a boil, stirring it occasionally. Once the soup is boiling add the chopped clams, bacon, cream, and thyme. Stir the soup and let it cook until hot, do not bring it to a boil. Remove the soup from the heat and slowly stir in the roux until the desired consistency is reached.

Steps:

• Rinse the clams in several changes of cold water and drain well. Tip the clams into a large pan with 500ml of water. Cover, bring to the boil and simmer for 2 mins until the clams have just opened. Tip the contents of the pan into a colander over a bowl to catch the clam stock. When cool enough to handle, remove the clams from their shells - reserving a handful of empty shells for presentation if you want. Strain the clam stock into a jug, leaving any grit in the bottom of the bowl. You should have around 800ml stock.
• Heat the butter in the same pan and sizzle the bacon for 3-4 mins until it starts to brown. Stir in the onion, thyme and bay and cook everything gently for 10 mins until the onion is soft and golden. Scatter over the flour and stir in to make a sandy paste, cook for 2 mins more, then gradually stir in the clam stock then the milk and the cream.
• Throw in the potatoes, bring everything to a simmer and leave to bubble away gently for 10 mins or until the potatoes are cooked. Use a fork to crush a few of the potato chunks against the side of the pan to help thicken - you still want lots of defined chunks though. Stir through the clam meat and the few clam shells, if you've gone down that route, and simmer for a minute to reheat. Season with plenty of black pepper and a little salt, if needed, then stir through the parsley just before ladling into bowls or hollowed-out crusty rolls.

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, remove to paper towels; drain, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings. , In the same skillet, saute onion in reserved drippings until tender. Stir in soup and milk. Add the clams, lemon juice, thyme, pepper and bacon; cook until heated through. Garnish with parsley.