Cape Cod Clam Chowdah 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:

• 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.

Steps:

• To prepare the chowder garnish, preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Scatter the potatoes on a baking sheet, toss with 2 tablespoons of the canola oil, and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven, turning once, until golden brown and just cooked through, about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the chowder broth. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and crispy, about 7 minutes. Transfer the bacon with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels.
• Raise the heat under the pan to high, add the onion, celery, and carrot, and cook them in the bacon fat until slightly soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the wine and cook until almost completely evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes; then add the clam juice and bring to a boil. Add the razor clams, cover, and cook until the clams open, about 8 minutes. Transfer the clams to a plate and let cool. Turn the heat down to low under the pan.
• Once the razor clams are cool enough to handle, shuck and coarsely chop them. For the garnish, whisk together the lemon juice, oil, and chopped parsley in a small bowl. Add the razor clams, season with salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Let the relish sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld.
• Turn the heat up to medium under the pan with the broth. Add the tomato puree, black peppercorns, and parsley sprigs to the broth and bring to a boil. Cook until slightly reduced and thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the chopped littleneck clams and cook for 2 minutes. Discard the parsley.
• Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick sauté pan over high heat until it just begins to shimmer. Season the fish on both sides with salt and pepper and cook until lightly golden brown on both sides and just cooked through, about 4 minutes per side.
• Divide the cod among 4 large shallow bowls and ladle the chowder broth over the fish. Arrange the potatoes around the cod and garnish the top of the cod with the razor clam relish, crisp bacon, and whole parsley leaves.

Steps:

• Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Add clams, cover, and cook until shells open, about 10 minutes. Transfer clams to a large bowl, reserving cooking liquid. Discard any clams that do not open. Remove meat from shells, and return to bowl. Discard shells. Pour reserved liquid through a fine sieve lined with cheesecloth into a large bowl (you should have 2 1/2 cups). Sprinkle a few tablespoons liquid over clams to keep them moist. Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add bacon, and cook, stirring, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Pour off excess drippings, leaving just enough to coat bottom of pot. Add onion and celery, and cook until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Wrap thyme, bay leaf, and peppercorns in a piece of cheesecloth, and tie with kitchen string. Place cheesecloth in pot, and add potatoes and 2 1/2 cups reserved clam broth. Simmer over medium heat until potatoes are tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Chop clams. Add clams and half-and-half to pot, and heat until just warmed through, about 1 minute. Discard cheesecloth, and season with salt. Serve immediately.