New England Clam Chowder

About

Chowder comes from the French word "chaudiere," meaning "large copper pot." In Brittany, fishermen would combine their fish in one of these pots, add spices, and share the resulting soup. This custom traveled with the Bretons to Newfoundland and then down to New England. (From "Rare Bits: Unusual Origins of Popular Recipes" by Patricia Bunning Stevens)

Yield:

4.0 servings

Added:

December 1, 2009

Creator:

Anonymous

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Comments

Anonymous's picture

how much onion?

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Ingredients

8 ounces each minced or chopped clams
1 teaspoon salt, go easy on salt, maybe less
Dash pepper
1 1/2 cups drained whole kernel corn
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 cup clam liquid and water
3 slices bacon, chopped
1 medium onion finely diced
2 cups diced raw potato
3 cups milk
2 tablespoons flour

Preparation

1
Drain clams. Pour clam liquid into measuring cup and add water to make 1 cup.
2
Fry bacon until crisp. Add onion and cook until tender. Add potatoes, clam liquid and water. Lower heat and simmer gently until potatoes are tender.
3
Add corn and milk. Blend flour and butter and stir into soup. Cook slowly until mixture thickens slightly, stirring constantly. Add seasonings and clams. Simmer 5 minutes. Top with 1/2 cup coarse cracker crumbs, optional.