by CookingMasters
What are the most important elements that need to exist in thebest clam chowder recipe? The thickness and richness of the chowder. Yes, if you are looking for the best recipe of clam chowder, you have come to the right place. We are going to give you the full step by step on how to make the best clam chowder.
A Few Things about Clam Chowder
For those who are not still familiar with clam chowder or you are a beginner in the cooking world, a chowder is a rich and thick soup. The namechowdercomes from the French wordchaudièrethat is a name for a cauldron which is used to make stews by the fishermen or fromjowterwhich is another Old English word for a fish peddler. If other rich and thick soups are made by pureed all of the ingredients, the chowder is uniquely served with their ingredients are still chunky. Historically, the ingredients that are included in the chowder are salt pork and ship’s biscuits. Nowadays, you can enjoy many kinds of chowder besides the clam chowder such as corn chowder, fish chowder, lobster chowder, gator chowder, mussel chowder, crab chowder, shrimp chowder, and salmon chowder.
How to Make The Best Clam Chowder
Now, the secret in making thebest clam chowder recipeis by steaming those fresh clams by yourself. Steaming the clams by yourself is easier than you think and definitely worth the effort. Speaking about clam chowder, some so many people love to eat clam chowder as it exists in many areas, coast to coast from Maine to Massachusetts to Alaska to Washington and everywhere else. Of course, everyone has their own favorite clam chowder. However, we can assure you that this recipe will be your favorite.
Note: There is a reason why you need to steam the clams by yourself. By steaming the clams by yourself, they will be as fresh as they can be. That is why you need to steam your own clams every time you need to cook with them. The clams are still alive when you throw them into the pot.
How to Steam Fresh Clams
If this is your first time in steaming clams, you need to know how you do it:
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- 1/4 c. water
- 1/2 c. chicken broth
- 6 cloves crushed garlic
- 2-3 Lbs. clams (you need to rinse them off thoroughly then put them in a bowl with salt water in the fridge for a while)
- Then, put the water, chicken broth, and garlic into the pot and boil them
- Add the clams then cover the pot with a lid
- Steam all of the clamshells open up or around 5 to 10 minutes
- Remove from heat and drain them
Best Clam Chowder Recipe
What are the most important elements that need to exist in the best clam chowder recipe? The thickness and richness of the chowder.
- 3/4 c. melted butter
- 1 c. flour
- 1 c. finely diced celery
- 3-4 cups of diced red potatoes
- 1 c. finely diced onions
- 1 c. finely diced leeks
- 3/4 c. clams (shelled & chopped)
- 3/4 Tbsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 Tbsp. kosher salt
- 3/4 Tbsp. whole thyme
- 6 bay leaves
- 4 drops of Tabasco sauce
- 3 c. chicken broth
- 3/4 c. clam juice
- 2 quarts half & half
The first thing that you need to do is to mix the melted butter and flour in a glass baking dish and bake them at 325 for around 25 to 30 minutes or until they are golden brown and crumbly.
Then, in a large skillet, soften the celery, onion, and leeks in butter or oil for around 3 to 5 minutes or until they are soft and slightly transparent.
Then, remove from the heat and put them in a large pot with the rest of the ingredients except for half & half butter-flour mixture.
Then, bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer for around 10 minutes or until the potatoes are thoroughly cooked and no longer crunchy.
Next, stir in the butter-flour mixture into chowder and stir until it thickens.
Then, remove the chowder from the heat and stir in half & half until all of them are blended and smooth.
If you want to serve the best clam chowder recipe, you need to heat it first to serving temperature while stirring occasionally. The clam chowder should be creamy and smooth. Also, you can add salt and pepper to meet your taste.
