I once owned a summer cottage on Sawyer's Island in Maine. The little cove in front of the house, too small to be named on navigational charts, was called Clam Cove by the locals. I never did any clamming — fishing was my thing — but I have a vivid memory of the muddy flats at low tide, feeling the soft-shell clams under my feet and seeing their tiny sprays coming out of the mud as they burrowed down to get out of my way. Soft-shell clams have two oval shells, about two to three inches long, that gape along the edges. Their most prominent feature is a siphon, about a quarter of the length of the shell, which sticks out of the clam. Whole soft-shell clams are often referred to as "steamers," because that is the way they are most often prepared. When salty old-timers refer to "clams," soft-shells are what they mean. Shucked raw, soft-shell clams may be called "fryers" or "frying clams." Frying clams make a superb chowder, but they are very expensive because of the labor involved in shucking them.
I prefer to steam whole soft-shell clams for chowder. That way, I save a few dollars and get a fantastic broth in the process. The flavor of steamer broth is sweeter and more subtle and round than the pungent broth quahogs (hard-shell clams) yield. The chowder made from steamers may have a little less strength up front, but it is equal to quahog chowder in deep lingering flavor. To celebrate the difference, I use salt pork instead of bacon in steamer chowder, I don't add garlic, and I use fewer herbs and seasoning, letting the luscious little clams provide most of the flavor. And they always rise to the occasion, producing one of the most delicious chowders imaginable.
Ingredients
Makes about 11 cups; serves 10 to 12 as a first course or 6 to 8 as a main course
For garnish
Step 1
1. Fill two large pots (or two sinks) with cold water. Place the clams in one pot of water, discarding any dead ones or clams with cracked shells. Gently move them around in the water and let them soak for a few minutes, then lift them out and place them in the other pot of cold water. Rinse the first pot and fill it again. Move the clams around again, then transfer them back to the clean pot. Continue to switch the clams back and forth, letting them soak for a few minutes each time, and then lifting them out of the pot, until the water remains crystal clear. The process should take four or five soakings.
Step 2
2. Put the 2 cups water in an 8-quart pot, cover, and bring to a rolling boil. Quickly but gently place the clams in the pot and cover again. After 4 minutes, remove the lid and quickly stir the clams with a wooden spoon, trying to lift some of the clams from the bottom to the top so they will cook evenly — but be gentle, the shells are very brittle and crack easily. Cover and continue to steam for another 4 to 5 minutes. (The broth will most likely overflow just as the clams have finished cooking.) All the clams should be open; if not, steam them a minute or two longer. Remove the clams and strain the broth; you should have 4 cups.
Step 3
3. When the clams are cool, remove them from the shells and cut off the siphons, as well as the protective skin that covers each siphon, and discard. (You should have about 1 pound of clam meat.) Cover and refrigerate until later.
Step 4
4. Heat a 4- to 6-quart heavy pot over low heat and add the diced salt pork. Once it has rendered a few tablespoons of fat, increase the heat to medium and cook until the pork is crisp and golden brown. With a slotted spoon, transfer the cracklings to a small ovenproof dish, leaving the fat in the pot, and reserve until later.
Step 5
5. Add the butter, onion, celery, thyme, and bay leaves to the pot and sauté, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, for about 10 minutes, until the vegetables are softened but not browned.
Step 6
6. Add the potatoes and the reserved clam broth. The broth should just barely cover the potatoes; if it doesn't, add enough water to cover them. Turn up the heat and bring to a boil, cover, and cook the potatoes vigorously for about 10 minutes, or until they are soft on the outside but still firm in the center. If the broth hasn't thickened lightly, smash a few potatoes against the side of the pot and cook a minute or two longer to release the starch.
Step 7
7. Remove the pot from the heat. Stir in the clams and the cream and season to taste with black pepper and possibly a pinch of salt (the saltiness of steamers varies). If you are not serving the chowder within the hour, let it cool a bit, then refrigerate; cover the chowderafterit has chilled completely. Otherwise, let it sit at room temperature for up to an hour, allowing the flavors to meld.
Step 8
8. When ready to serve, reheat the chowder over low heat; don't let it boil. Try not to stir too often, because you don't want to break open the clam bellies. Warm the cracklings in a low oven (200°F) for a few minutes.
Step 9
9. Ladle the chowder into cups or bowls, making sure that the steamers, onions, and potatoes are evenly divided. Scatter the cracklings over the individual servings and sprinkle with the chopped parsley and minced chives.
有软壳的蛤蜊原产于大西洋seaboard from Cape Hatteras to the Arctic Ocean, but they have been transplanted to the West Coast and can be found there from San Francisco to Vancouver, Canada. The best steamers are found at lobster or other seafood vendors along the coast, who keep them in tanks. The constant flow of water purges them of most of their sand, making them very easy to clean. You can have fresh soft-shell clams shipped directly to you*, but they are very delicate—expect to find many with cracked shells. Buy the smallest steamers possible; the very large ones are even more delicate and their bellies break open easily, giving the chowder an undesirable green tinge.
如果你有幸找到真正的年代mall steamers, you have the option of leaving the siphon attached, but you will have to peel the skin off it. With large soft-shell clams, the siphon is very chewy and must be removed, but with small ones, it's less noticeable and the little specks of black at the tip give an unusual and interesting appearance to the chowder.
For equipment, you will need an 8-quart pot with a tight fitting lid (for steaming open the clams), a wooden spoon, a fine-mesh strainer, a 4- to 6-quart heavy pot with a lid (for the chowder), a slotted spoon, and a ladle.
- Steamers are available by mail order from Captain Marden's Seafoods, Inc. (781) 235-0860.
Leave a Review
Reviews (12)
Back to TopGreat method for making the chowder with well purged steamer clams. I used a broth I had made earlier from steaming another batch of clams in place of the water and we loved the intensity of flavor that provided.
Amy
8/23/2022
This is a great recipe, and went together well. However, it was "too clammy" for us. Next time,we will cut the amount of clam juice to 1 cup. We were looking for a thicker chowder, and while it did thicken somewhat, next time I'll add a little flour with the onions and celery to make it much thicker.
aaltenhofen
Kansas City, Kansas
11/23/2013
This was amazing. I tripled it for a big soup and salad party we give every year. I used whole milk instead of cream. This made for a much more authentic chowder than the gloppy stuff that is served in most restaurants. I thought that the clam broth was going to be too salty, but it was perfect. I have almost two pints left to use for other soups. Well worth the work.
Anonymous
Rochester, NY
1/9/2012
这是一个非常好的基本配方,但你不have to cut the necks off of the clams. The black neck is all sweat meat. When the clam is under ground this can strech up to a foot long atleast so the clam can feed at the surface of the sand. If you want to cut the neck off after peeling the skin off that covers them (becouse you don't like the black color) then dip them in butter and eat them like you would a steamer. If you do not you are wasting a very tasty part of the clam.
ppichette
Westerly, RI
7/20/2009
Is there such a thing as "meaty" salt pork? Mine was definitely not meaty, but it really did add a depth of flavor to the chowder that was wonderful. I can't imagine bacon adding such flavor. Of coarse, this is not low calorie as the flavor came from fat, but it really was an excellent clam chowder.
Anonymous
Boston, MA
5/31/2009
very good, very easy. used littlenecks rather than steamers without any problem, and substituted fresh parsley for the thyme/bay leaves, again with no problem. agree with the other reviewer who said half & half or less cream than called for is appropriate; the broth is very rich on its own.
earlytimes1
brooklyn, ny
11/16/2008
Outstanding!!! A real traditional, rich but brothy chowder. I'll definitely make this again.
lfetter
Mesa, AZ
10/19/2005
This is a great recipe. I happened to get very gritty/sandy clams. In spite of repeated rinsings, I still had sand in the bottom of the pot in which I steamed the claims. When shucking them, I suspected (correctly) that the clam meat itself had too much grit. I placed the cooked clams into the strained broth and rinsed them thoroughly,lifting them out by hand. This cured the problem and the clams were grit-free when placed in the chowder. Of course, the broth needed to be strained again.
Anonymous
Brewer, ME
8/8/2004
I'm allergic to shellfish, so I don't personally know how this came out, but all I got was rave reviews from my guests..."best clam chowder"..."better than my mother's"....."mmm mmm mmm" was about all I heard. Got the clams fresh and degritted from my shellfish place here in Maine. Of course, I did make this my own by doing some different things, including substituting sage leaves for bay leaves and using lemon thyme instead of regular thyme. Also used about 3/4 cup half and half instead of cream and celery seed instead of stalks (just because I forgot to get stalks). I'm going to use this recipe in our restaurant and see what others have to say.
Anonymous
Penbobscot Bay, Maine
7/24/2003
There is no better clam chowder than this one! It is unbelievably good. I have made it four times, and the only thing I do differently is leave the bacon in, rather than crumbling it over. (This is key, in my opinion.) Whenever I make this dish, I prove to French friends that American cooking can be something to shout about!
Anonymous
Paris, France
5/28/2003
Wonderful, rich, traditional recipe. Everyone loved it -- including the kids!
Anonymous
Portland, Maine
2/16/2003
this is an awesome chowder recipe. It is very easy, but a bit time consuming. Also very rich, so we make it once a year at Thanksgiving. Substituting a little more butter instead of the pork fat is fine, and doesn't take away too much.
Anonymous
Brunswick, ME
11/27/2002
