My Mom's New England Clam Chowder...mmm. One bite of this chowdah and I'm reminded of summers growing up in New Hampshire. It tastes like home. My mom mastered this recipe, but never actually wrote it down. So, I've tried my best to figure out exact measurements. And to ensure that this is THE recipe, both of my brothers have taste tested and have given their confirmation... nailed it! I won't lie, I selfishly want to keep this a secret family recipe because it really is wicked good... but the world needs more happy things like Sharon's Clam Chowder... so here it is ;)
Ingredients:
1 bottle of Snow's clam juice
7 cans of Snow's clams - 3 cans of the minced clams, 4 cans of the chopped clams
8 pieces of bacon
4-5 russet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 stalk of celery, chopped
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 tbsp of Old Bay seasoning
1 tbsp of minced garlic
1 pint of half and half
1 stick of butter
1/2 cup of all-purpose flour
Fresh ground pepper, to taste
Salt, to taste
Instructions:
Start by peeling and rinsing the potatoes, then cut into small cubes. Set aside.
Chop the onion and celery. Set aside.
Open all the jars of clams and pour into a large bowl. Do not drain the clams! Keep the juice!
Cook the bacon in a large non-stick pot, or a dutch oven. This is what the chowder will be cooked in, so make sure it's large enough. Remove the bacon and set aside. Leave the grease in the pot... I know. Kinda gross. But just do it.
Add the celery, onion and minced garlic into the pot. Season with 1 tbsp of Old Bay seasoning, salt and pepper. Cook until the onion and celery are almost soft.
In a separate small pot, create a roux with the stick of butter and the flour. Once it starts to thicken, slowly add the can of Snow's clam juice to the roux and continue to stir. It will get really thick, but that's what you want. Once the juice is completely mixed in, remove from the heat.
Add the potatoes to the large pot of onions and celery and stir to ensure the potatoes are coated in oil and seasonings. Then add the half and half and bowl of clams/clam juice and stir.
Once mixed, slowly add the roux to the chowder and mix it in well.
Add the 2 remaining tbsp of Old Bay seasoning, salt and pepper. Then mix again.
Chop the bacon that was set aside. Then add and stir into the chowder.
Cover the pot, and let the chowder simmer for about 40-45 minutes on medium heat. Stirring about every 8-10 minutes so that nothing burns on the bottom of the pot.
Remove chowder from the heat and allow it to sit for 10 minutes before serving, and if you really want it to taste like Sharon's, then be sure to serve it in a warm, crispy bread bowl :)
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