Rhode Island-Style Dairy-Free Clam Chowder - Mothers Day Chowder Recipe

Mothers Day Chowder Recipe #1

Last week, I headed up to Cape Cod for my cousin's wedding. My aunt had rented a house for the family and it had its own little private beach where we could go clamming. Our first attempt, at high tide, was a total failure.




mothers day chowder recipe

The next day I arranged my plans around the tide charts. My dad asked me to drop him off at the bus station so he could catch a bus to Boston, and I encouraged him to take the last one possible so that I could be home at the low-tide mark. (I didn't necessarily tell him that was my reason for suggesting the later bus.) I didn't have a bathing suit, so I rolled my exercise pants high up around my thighs, tied a floating basket to my knee, and waded out into the numbing October water.


mothers day chowder recipe


I was not warm. But I came back with a small haul of clams, and after eating one raw right away, I packed the rest up on ice and drove them back down to New York City.



Once home, I thought about how to prepare them. A chowder came to mind—I was still having flashbacks to being waist-deep in frigid water—but I didn't have any cream, and Kenji has already done a pretty exhaustive job on that one. Instead, I decided to make a Rhode Island-style chowder: clear, brothy, and cream-free. The kind of chowder that really emphasizes the flavour of the clams more than anything.



mothers day chowder recipe

I started by cooking diced bacon in a Dutch oven until crispy. Then I stirred in diced aromatics like onion, carrot, celery, and garlic, and cooked them until softened. Carrot is not always traditional in the clear chowders of Rhode Island, but I like the way it tastes and the colour it adds. I didn't worry about pouring off the excess bacon fat at this point since it's easy to skim off the soup later.

The next step was to add liquid, starting with a small amount of white wine, which adds flavour and mild tartness. For the rest of the broth, you'll find that recipes vary. Some call for clam broth, either homemade or bottled, some call for fish stock, others just use water. I decided to use chicken stock, both because it's the most readily available (aside from water, but that's too bland) and also because I really like what chicken stock does in a soup like this.


mothers day chowder recipe

When I wrote my article on the basic chicken stock, one of the main points I wanted to get across is how versatile a simple white chicken stock (i.e. one made from un-roasted chicken and vegetables) can be. This shellfish soup is a great example. It doesn't end up tasting like chicken—it tastes like really rich clam broth with a nice kick of smoke from the bacon.

The other great thing about chicken stock is that, if made well, it will contain lots of gelatin, which yields a broth with plenty of body and texture. If you don't have gelatin-rich homemade stock, you can improve store-bought stock by adding unflavored gelatin to it, which I strongly recommend doing. It makes a world of difference.




mothers day chowder recipe

The key with the chicken stock is to infuse it with the flavour of the clams, so I brought it up to a simmer and then added the clams. They'll pop open one by one as they succumb to the heat, releasing their juices into the broth. You just have to pick them out with tongs as they open.

A lot of people say to discard any bivalves that don't open since it's a sign that they're long dead and dangerous to eat. This advice doesn't make much sense since clams and mussels pop open when they die—a clam or mussel that refuses to open is about as likely to be dead as a guy shouting, "I feel happy!"* More often, unopened ones just need to be cooked longer and will eventually open. Some clams won't open wide, but almost all will open at least a crack and can then be pried open more fully with a knife. In the rare instance that one doesn't open at all, even after prolonged cooking, you can still try to open it by sliding a knife between the shells. If it smells off or is filled with mud, obviously get rid of it, but otherwise, it'll be just fine, as this Australian industry study on mussels found.



mothers day chowder recipe
* An uncooked bivalve that won't close, on the other hand, is something to worry about: send it to the morgue, not your soup pot.

This is a good moment to talk about purging clams. Fresh live clams can sometimes contain sand, and in my restaurant days, we'd purge them in changes of salt water to remove it. Some people say to add cornmeal to the salt water, but I've never needed it. I usually do about 30 minutes to 1 hour for each change of salt water, and I'll change the water as many times as it takes until there's no trace of sand on the bottom of the container. I've never done side-by-side tests, but it makes sense to me that if the clams are spitting out sand into the salt-water bath, it's sand that would otherwise have been in the clams without that bath.


mothers day chowder recipe

Okay, back to the soup: Once the clams were all open and I'd plucked them from the broth, I added diced Yukon gold potatoes to the soup and simmered them until tender. While the potatoes were cooking, I removed the clam meat from the shells and chopped it up. When the potatoes were done, I added the clam meat back to the soup. At this point the soup is basically ready: cook the clams much more and they'll get tough.


mothers day chowder recipe

A little fresh parsley stirred in and it's ready to eat.

For a soup this flavorful and warming, I'd be willing to wade out into the open water in the middle of February with ice floes floating by. I guess it's a good thing I live in a city.

2 pounds live cherrystone or littleneck clams

Kosher salt

3 thick-cut slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 4 ounces)

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)

2 medium carrots, finely chopped (about 1 cup)

2 stalks celery, finely chopped (about 1 cup)

2 medium cloves garlic, roughly chopped (about 2 teaspoons)

1 cup dry white wine

1 quart homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock

2 packets (1/2 ounce) unflavored gelatin (only if using store-bought stock or thin homemade stock; see note)

2 sprigs thyme

1 bay leaf

2 medium Yukon gold potatoes, diced

Minced parsley, for garnish

Clams Casino Recipe - Mothers Day Clams Casine Recipe

Mothers Day Clams Casino Recipe #1

Know what casino means in Italian? It means "a big mess." That's funny because you know what your average plate of clams casino usually is? Yeah: It's a mess. Despite being made from ingredients that should be nothing short of spectacular together—clams, bacon, butter, and bread crumbs—most versions of clams casino are a sterling example of how to take a good thing and turn it into a train wreck.


Mothers Day Clams Casino Recipe

Here's what often goes wrong: First, the clams are topped with fine bread crumbs, which, when dry, have the gritty texture of a mouthful of sand. After they soak up the juices, they have the equally unpleasant texture of either that same sand, now wet, or really soggy bread pulp (or sometimes both, depending on the specific breadcrumbs and just how soaked they get). I like clams and sand. Both of them make me think of the beach. But I only like one of them in my mouth.

Second, most recipes take a halfhearted approach, baking shucked clams with butter, seasonings, bacon, and breadcrumbs, but missing obvious opportunities to concentrate, meld, and layer flavours. A lot of folks just slap a shard of bacon on top as an afterthought and somehow think they've done a good job.



We can do better—we can clean up this mess. Not only that, we can actually make this dish easier to prepare by eliminating the shucking step and rethinking the recipe so that it can be made ahead, with nothing left to do but toss the clams in the oven right before serving.

Let's start with the breadcrumbs. Fine bread crumbs don't do us any favours in a recipe like this. Coarse ones, on the other hand, add a crunchy texture that contrasts well with the soft clams. Japanese panko breadcrumbs are a great choice here, but, of course, we don't want to use just plain ones. Instead, take this opportunity to layer flavours by dicing bacon, then cooking it until it's rendered plenty of fat, leaving the bacon bits browned and crisp. Then stir in the bread crumbs, allowing them to soak up the bacon grease while they toast over the heat. Toasted bacon breadcrumbs > all other breadcrumbs. Moving along.



Mothers Day Clams Casino Recipe

That's not the end of the bacon, though, because I also want bacon flavour in the clams themselves. Now, like I said, most recipes tell you to shuck the clams, then bake them with the other ingredients more or less haphazardly spooned on top. Not this time. The game plan here is to make a compound bacon-clam butter. That may sound fancy and difficult, but it actually makes this recipe easier. No shucking, no harvesting clam liquor, and no need to make this recipe from start to finish right before serving.

It's as simple as can be: I sauté some more diced bacon to render the fat again and lightly brown the bacon, then I stir in minced shallots, garlic, and red pepper flakes. (A lot of recipes call for diced bell peppers, but I can't begin to understand why anyone thinks that's a good idea here.) I cook them until they're softened, then add a splash of white wine, toss in the clams, cover, and cook until the clams start to open.




Mothers Day Clams Casino Recipe

As each one opens, I pluck it out right away and set it aside to cool. Meanwhile, I cover the pan back up, continuing to check every minute or so and removing the clams as they open until they're all done. The clams will release their liquid into the pan as they open, which adds tons of great clam flavour to the mixture.


Mothers Day Clams Casino Recipe

Before moving on, let's stop here and review a couple of things about clams. First off, you absolutely must purge them before cooking them. That's because a lot of clams have sand hidden within, and the only thing worse than sandy breadcrumbs on your clams is actual sand in them. To purge clams, I submerge them in salted water for 30 minutes. If the bottom of the container is clear of sand after those 30 minutes, go ahead and cook 'em. If there's sand on the bottom, lift the clams out, drain and rinse the container, then fill it up again with fresh salted water and drop the clams back in. Do this as many times as necessary until they stop spitting out sand.

Second, there's a bit of folk wisdom out there that claims you shouldn't eat a clam that refuses to open during cooking. That's hogwash. A clam that's closed tight is a live clam fighting a respectable—but futile—battle. The only clear sign of a dead clam is a clam that's gaping open. So, most importantly, don't buy or cook clams that are wide open and refuse to close when prodded, because they really are dead and could make you sick. Some clams will take a surprisingly long time to pop open during cooking, but they almost always will eventually. And even when they do, in some cases they'll open just a crack and not all the way, which is fine—just pry the shells open. In the rare event that a clam absolutely refuses to open even after prolonged cooking, try sliding a knife between the shells. If there's a plump clam inside that smells fine, then go ahead and use it. If you find a mud-filled centre, a possible though unlikely scenario, toss it and be glad that it didn't get into your food.

Okay, back to the recipe. Once all the clams have opened, keep your pan uncovered and continue to cook the mixture of shallot, garlic, bacon, wine, and clam juice until the liquid has fully evaporated and you're left with a jammy, soffritto-like mixture. This is pure, concentrated clam magic right here, and we're going to mix it into softened butter.


Mothers Day Clams Casino Recipe

A good dose of fresh parsley helps perk the whole thing up. When you're done, you'll have a clam compound butter on your hands, and it will be amazing. Be very careful about adding salt, as the concentrated clam juices and bacon may well be salty enough. Whatever you do, don't use salted butter.


Mothers Day Clams Casino Recipe

By this time, the clams will have cooled enough that you can finish preparing them. Start by pulling the two shells of each clam apart, and throw away one of them. Make sure no little bits of shell around the hinge come off and get into the clam. Next, free each clam from the half-shell it's still attached to. Then settle it right back into its shell and set it down on a rimmed baking sheet.


Mothers Day Clams Casino Recipe

Now take the clam butter and spread it onto each clam, packing it into the crevices and more or less burying the clam in it. Don't be shy, just pile that butter on. Then sprinkle some of the bread crumbs on each clam.



Mothers Day Clams Casino Recipe

The great thing here is that the butter protects the clams, shielding them from the air and keeping them plump and moist. As a result, you can prep the recipe up until this point, then refrigerate the clams up to overnight, and they'll be ready to rock whenever you want to serve them.




Mothers Day Clams Casino Recipe
To finish the clams, just pop them in a 450°F oven until the butter is fully melted and heated through. Then load some more of those toasted bacon bread crumbs on top, this time with a bunch of fresh parsley mixed in. Transfer them to a platter, throw some lemon wedges on the side, and dig in.



Mothers Day Clams Casino Recipe

And here's a little bonus: You're going to have extra clam butter left over. Save it! Then, one day soon when you're really hungry and tired and stressed and can't be bothered to cook anything elaborate, just throw some spaghetti in a pot of boiling water, then toss it in that bacon-clam butter. You may feel like a hot mess, but when your idea of an easy dinner is "spaghetti casino," nobody would dare call you one.