Clam Chowder

 

It’s been very cold here recently with temperatures getting down to –18C (about 0F) overnight.  We even had snow.  About a week ago just over 6” of it fell and unusually, it is still lying on the ground almost unchanged.

I was trying to think of a nice warming fish dish for this evening’s supper to combat this particularly cold snap.  I started off thinking about a basic fish stew.  The French do a great fish stew called Bouillabaisse and are famous for it in it’s home town of Marseille.   Bouillabaisse comes from the old Occitan language which was spoken across this part of France. and really simply means to boil then to simmer.  I guess that is how you make Bouillabaisse after all.   Interestingly enough, a local farmer neighbour  of mine, in his late 80’s still speaks Occitan and myself, along with many of my neighbours, both French as well as British, have a certain amount of difficulty understanding him.

But Bouillabaisse is really a warm climate dish and the one thing I don’t feel we have here at the moment is a warm climate, so I started to think about other fish stews from colder parts of the world:  Ukha from Russia, Lohikeitto from Finland, or even the Bergensk Fiskesuppe from Bergen in Norway.  Moving away from Europe I thought of Canada, but couldn’t really find a traditional local fish stew so moved on to the USA where I found, of course the wonderful chowders and in particular my own favourite New England Clam Chowder.

In fact, I have made this stew for many years and have slowly developed my own recipe along the way.   It uses tinned clams rather than fresh, but I usually chuck a few fresh ones into the pot for decoration and with it’s rich creamy thick stew is just the thing for a cold winter’s evening.

It’s really easy to make and tastes superb

Clam Chowder

Preparation time 20 minutes
Cooking time 20 minutes
Makes enough for 6 people

 

INGREDIENTS

4 Rashers finely chopped streaky bacon
1 cup diced onion ,
4 cups potato cubed
1 grated carrot
2 cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
2 teaspoons coarse sea salt 
good pinch ground black pepper
fresh chopped thyme
2 cups water
4 cans clams (8oz) 
2 cups single cream
A few Fresh clams
¼ cup butter

·

METHOD

• Sauté the bacon and onion in a little olive oil then transfer to a large saucepan;
• add potatoes, water, carrots, salt and pepper
• bring to the boil then simmer until the potatoes are cooked
• Slowly stir in the soup, clams and clam juice, cream, butter and thyme
• Simmer for 20 minutes
• Sprinkle with a little chopped fresh Thyme and serve whilst still piping hot.

And there it is, a delicious Chowder.

 

I usually make this dish a day in advance as I think it improves as all the flavours round together.

Reheat slowly until the dish is almost, (BUT NOT!) boiling.  If you allow it to boil the cream will curdle.  Then add the chopped thyme and serve

I can’t always get clams here, (either fresh or canned) so I have made this dish very successfully with other seafood, such as prawns

Serve with a lovely crusty bread.   I especially like this with my home made olive bread.

I hope you enjoy it, I know I shall.