Clam Chowder Westcoast Style Food

CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• In medium saucepan add: salt, celery, potatoes, onion,"juice" from the 2 cans of clams.
• Add just enough water to cover mixture.
• Simmer 8-10 minute or until potatoes are tender.
• Meanwhile: In a large stockpot, bring to boil 1 half and half and butter stirring constantly.
• Mix together cornstarch and milk.
• Slowly stir into half and half mixture while boiling, stirring rapidly, remove from heat.
• Stir in vegetable mixture.
• Add red wine vinegar.
• Add clams and Fresh pepper to taste!
• DO NOT BOIL CLAMS!
• Enjoy!

WEST COAST CLAM CHOWDER RECIPE:

Steps:

• In a large soup pot over medium heat, saute bacon until crisp and golden brown. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon; drain bacon on paper towels (drain off the bacon fat from the soup pot). Set bacon aside. I do not add the bacon fat back to my clam chowder, but it is your choice!
• Reduce heat to low and add butter and stir until melted. Add onions and cook until they are translucent and soft (about 10 to 15 minutes). Sauteing the onions in the butter is important to achieve the excellent taste. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP. Add flour, salt, and pepper, stirring constantly until well blended. Gradually add the milk, stirring constantly until sauce comes to a boil and thickens.
• Making a large quantity of clam chowder:
• Since I usually make a large pot (sometimes a couple of pots) of clam chowder for my family, I make a Roux with flour and butter for thickening the chowder to my liking:
• First use some of the butter to saute the onions.
• Then using equal parts of butter and flour, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Whisk the flour and butter together. Cook, stirring, it until the flour/butter mixture are well blended and starts to lose its raw flour smell. NOTE: A good guideline is to use 1 tablespoon of flour for every 2 cups of liquid you have, but adjust to your taste.
• Slowly add the milk to the roux, stirring constantly to blend well.
• My family likes a thinly-thickened chowder, but thicken to your liking.
• Add the cut-up potatoes and simmer approximately 10 to 15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.
• Add the cooked bacon, clams and clam liquid; simmer until thoroughly heated. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper.
• Serve in large soup bowls. I sometimes like to add a dollop of butter on top of each bowl of clam chowder (your choice).
• Serve with crackers or bread.
• Our family likes to serve this clam chowder with Never-Fail Popovers.
• Makes 8 servings.

CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• First, shuck the clams and remove the bellies. Clean the clams and then chop them into small pieces. Put to the side until ready to add to the pot.
• Heat the butter in a stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the celery and sweet onion and cook, mixing often, until they begin to soften. Next, sprinkle in the salt, black pepper and seafood boil seasoning. Add the self-rising flour to make a roux. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Stir in the clams and clam juice.
• Meanwhile, cook the bacon and finely chop. Add to the pot. Add the potatoes along with the scallions. Stir to combine. Lastly, add the milk and half-and-half. Stir to warm. Serve in a bowl with parsley as a garnish.

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.

CLAM CHOWDER

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.

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.

CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Bring the potatoes and the clam juice to the boil. Cook until the potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add the clams and any of their liquid. Cook about 5 minutes. Set aside.
• Add the pork to a saute pan and cook over low heat until rendered. Add the onions and cook until transparent. Add the butter and allow it to melt. Add the flour and cook until slightly colored. Add a bit more flour if necessary if the mixture is too soft. Bring the clams, juice and potatoes back to the boil. Gradually stir in the cooked roux. Bring to a rolling boil to thicken. Stir continuously while cooking. Beat the half-and-half and add to the soup. It may not be necessary to use all the half-and-half; the soup should be thick. Adjust the seasoning and add a dash of hot pepper sauce and Worcestershire sauce before serving.

CLAM CHOWDER - WESTCOAST STYLE

Steps:

• In a medium size frying pan, lightly fry chopped bacon until partially cooked.
• Drain and discard fat.
• Add chopped onions to bacon and saute' for 5 minutes, DO NOT BROWN, set aside.
• In a large cooking pot, add water and bring to boil.
• Add chopped carrots, cubed potatoes, salt and pepper.
• Puree' tomatoes in a food processor or blender and add to cooking pot.
• Add reserved bacon/onion mixture to pot and bring to boil.
• Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until carrots and potatoes are tender; DO NOT OVERCOOK.
• Add diced celery and ketchup and cook for 5 minutes.
• Add clam nectar, baby clams and the liquid and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Add milk, stirring constantly while adding and bring to just boil.
• Finally, add instant potato flakes, stir well and simmer for 3 minutes.
• Adjust seasonings to taste. (Add more instant potato flakes if soup is not thick enough to your liking.). The soup will thicken slightly the following day.
• Remove soup from heat and let sit for 15 minutes before serving.
• Fresh baby clams may be used.
• You will require about 4 pounds of baby clams in the shell.
• In a pot, add 2 1/2 cups water and clams.
• Cover and bring to boil and cook for 5 to 8 minutes or until all clams are opened.
• Discard any clams that DO NOT OPEN.
• Save the liquid and pour through a very fine sieve to remove any particles and use the liquid in the soup same as the canned clams.
• Extract the clams from the shells and add to soup.
• This soup can be canned.

WESTCOAST STYLE CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• In medium skillet lightly fry bacon over medium heat; drain off fat and discard. Add onions to bacon and saute approximately 3 minutes. Do not brown.
• In a large stock pot add water and bring to boil. Once boiling add carrots, baby clams (including liquid), clam juice, potatoes, salt and pepper.
• Using a food processor or blender, puree tomatoes. Add to stock pot along with bacon-onion mixture and bring to boil.
• Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until carrots and potatoes are tender. Do not overcook.
• Stir in celery and ketchup and cook for another 5 minutes.
• Slowly add milk, stirring constantly while bringing just to boiling.
• Finally, add instant potato flakes and cook for 3 minutes.
• Adjust seasoning to taste. If soup is not to your desired thickness add more instant potato flakes, about 2 tablespoons at a time.
• Remove soup from heat and let sit for about 15 minutes before serving.

NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and saute until translucent.
• Add the clam juice, diced potatoes, bay leaf and thyme to the onions. Bring the mixture to a boil.
• Simmer 10-15 minutes the mixture until the potatoes are tender.
• Add the cream and bring mixture to a simmer.
• In a separate bowl, mix a little of the milk into the flour until you have a paste. Add in the remaining milk and stir.
• Add flour and milk mixture to the soup and stir.
• Reduce the heat as low as possible. Add the clams for a few minutes, until they are cooked.
• Discard the bay leaf.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Garnish with chopped parsley.