PREPARE INGREDIENTS BEFORE STARTING!
Bring bottled clam juice and potatoes to boil in medium saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until potatoes are tender, about ten minutes. Remove from heat. (If you want firm potatoes, be sure to pull *before* potatoes reach the consistency you'd use for mashed potatoes.)
Melt butter in large pot (we use a stock pot) over medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook until bacon begins to brown, about eight minutes. The bacon will get gummy and stick to the bottom of the pan. Do not fret. The veggies in the next step will clean things right up.
Add onions, celery, garlic, and bay leaf. Sautee until vegetable soften, about six minutes. Stir in flour and cook two minutes. The original recipe says: DO NOT ALLOW FLOUR TO BROWN, but I'm not sure why. Mine usually gets a little brown.
Gradually whisk in reserved juices from clams. YOU ARE FORMING A ROUX. Add the juices in small stages, whisking to thicken the roux at each stage. When you're done, you should have a thick mass, not a thin mass.
Add potato mixture, clams, half-and-half, and hot pepper sauce. Add hickory smoke salt. Simmer chowder for ten or fifteen minutes to blend flavors, stirring frequently. Season to taste with a little salt and LOTS of black pepper.
This chowder is best prepared in advance. It tastes fine fresh from the stove, but it tastes even better when re-heated the next day, or even the next week.
Notes: You can purchase giant 51 oz cans of clams from Costco or from fresh seafood shops. A great version when using these mondo cans uses: 4 bottles clam juice, 4 potatoes, 4 tbsp butter, 8 slices thick bacon, 2 onions, 2 cups celery, 6 cloves garlic, 1/2 cup flour, 2 cups half-and-half, 1 tsp hot sauce, and 1 tsp hickory smoke salt.
Nutritional Information per Serving: Serving size: 1 cup
225 calories
13g fat (5g saturated)
37mg cholesterol
725mg sodium
325mg potassium
18g carbohydrates (1.5g fiber)
9g protein
Bring bottled clam juice and potatoes to boil in medium saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until potatoes are tender, about ten minutes. Remove from heat. (If you want firm potatoes, be sure to pull *before* potatoes reach the consistency you'd use for mashed potatoes.)
Melt butter in large pot (we use a stock pot) over medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook until bacon begins to brown, about eight minutes. The bacon will get gummy and stick to the bottom of the pan. Do not fret. The veggies in the next step will clean things right up.
Add onions, celery, garlic, and bay leaf. Sautee until vegetable soften, about six minutes. Stir in flour and cook two minutes. The original recipe says: DO NOT ALLOW FLOUR TO BROWN, but I'm not sure why. Mine usually gets a little brown.
Gradually whisk in reserved juices from clams. YOU ARE FORMING A ROUX. Add the juices in small stages, whisking to thicken the roux at each stage. When you're done, you should have a thick mass, not a thin mass.
Add potato mixture, clams, half-and-half, and hot pepper sauce. Add hickory smoke salt. Simmer chowder for ten or fifteen minutes to blend flavors, stirring frequently. Season to taste with a little salt and LOTS of black pepper.
This chowder is best prepared in advance. It tastes fine fresh from the stove, but it tastes even better when re-heated the next day, or even the next week.
Notes: You can purchase giant 51 oz cans of clams from Costco or from fresh seafood shops. A great version when using these mondo cans uses: 4 bottles clam juice, 4 potatoes, 4 tbsp butter, 8 slices thick bacon, 2 onions, 2 cups celery, 6 cloves garlic, 1/2 cup flour, 2 cups half-and-half, 1 tsp hot sauce, and 1 tsp hickory smoke salt.
Nutritional Information per Serving: Serving size: 1 cup
225 calories
13g fat (5g saturated)
37mg cholesterol
725mg sodium
325mg potassium
18g carbohydrates (1.5g fiber)
9g protein
