New England Clam Chowder
Indulge in a comforting bowl of creamy New England Clam Chowder, a culinary treasure from the shores of New England. This delectable soup combines tender clams, savory bacon, and a rich, velvety broth, promising a flavorful experience that will warm you from the inside out.
Indulge in a comforting bowl of creamy New England Clam Chowder, a culinary treasure from the shores of New England. This delectable soup combines tender clams, savory bacon, and a rich, velvety broth, promising a flavorful experience that will warm you from the inside out.
- Carbohydrate 43.2396447129614 g
- Cholesterol 246.481172078599 mg
- Fat 77.467370532382 g
- Fiber 2.16662505049903 g
- Protein 20.6963601724438 g
- Saturated Fat 48.2364781646218 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (790g)
- Sodium 298.586000235833 mg
- Sugar 41.0730196624624 g
- Trans Fat 4.09815734707648 g
- Calories 934 calories
Step-by-step
- Place diced bacon in large stock pot over medium-high heat.
- Cook until almost crisp; add onions, and cook 5 minutes.
- Stir in water and potatoes, and season with salt and pepper.
- Bring to a boil, and cook uncovered for 15 minutes, or until potatoes are fork tender.
- Pour in half-and-half, and add butter.
- Drain clams, reserving clam liquid; stir clams and 1/2 of the clam liquid into the soup.
- Cook for about 5 minutes, or until heated through.
- Do not allow to boil.
Stretching pantry ingredients into a substantial meal requires deliberate choices, and utilizing canned minced clams paired with affordable root vegetables keeps overall costs low without sacrificing flavor. Canned clams provide an economical source of seafood protein that stores indefinitely on the shelf, bypassing the high price point of fresh quahogs while delivering the necessary briny foundation for a traditional regional chowder. Four slices of standard bacon rendered at medium-high heat generate enough rendered fat to sweat the onions properly, eliminating extra oil purchases and building deep savory notes from scratch.
Temperature control dictates success or failure when dairy meets seafood in this preparation, demanding constant vigilance once the half-and-half enters the pot. Allowing dairy-heavy chowders to reach a rolling boil causes milk solids to separate and proteins to curdle, resulting in a grainy appearance and an unappealing texture. Maintaining heat strictly below a simmer ensures the liquids incorporate smoothly into a velvety base that coats the back of a spoon.
Starch management preserves the integrity of the cubed potatoes throughout the boiling phase. Cooking the diced tubers uncovered for precisely fifteen minutes in water salted with one and a half teaspoons prevents them from dissolving completely into mush, keeping distinct pieces intact alongside the tender clam bits.
Stirring in the butter alongside the dairy during the final five minutes adds gloss and rounds out the salinity contributed by the reserved clam juices. Monitoring the pot constantly during this last phase prevents scorching at the bottom of the heavy-bottomed stockpot while the flavors meld homogeneously.
