Best 7 Grandmas Clam Chowder Recipes

GRANDMA'S SEAFOOD CHOWDER

Steps:

• In a 6-qt. stockpot, heat 3 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; cook and stir until tender, 8-10 minutes. Remove from pot., In same pot, heat remaining butter over medium heat. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until smooth; gradually whisk in cream and milk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; cook and stir until thickened, 2-3 minutes., Stir in haddock, shrimp, peas and sautéed mushrooms; cook until fish just begins to flake easily with a fork and shrimp turn pink, 5-7 minutes. Add cheese, crab and pimientos; stir gently until cheese is melted. If desired, sprinkle servings with paprika.

MY BEST CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Drain juice from clams into a large skillet over the onions, celery, potatoes and carrots. Add water to cover, and cook over medium heat until tender.
• Meanwhile, in a large, heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Whisk in cream and stir constantly until thick and smooth. Stir in vegetables and clam juice. Heat through, but do not boil.
• Stir in clams just before serving. If they cook too much they get tough. When clams are heated through, stir in vinegar, and season with salt and pepper.

GRANDMA'S CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Lay out bacon in the bottom of a large stock pot over low heat. Render bacon slowly until nearly crisp but while grease is still very liquid (about 10 minutes).
• Add onions, carrots and celery and cook until nearly soft. Turn up heat slightly if necessary (about 10 minutes).
• Add potatoes to vegetables and mix well.
• Sift in flour slowly, stirring constantly, until flour and bacon grease make a roux.
• Add salt, pepper and hot sauce.
• Add stock to cover vegetables (no more than 1" over).
• Stir, add bay leaves and bring to a boil.
• When just at boiling, reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are cooked through but not mushy (20-25 min.).
• Add clams and increase heat until just boiling then remove from heat.
• Stir in cream.
• Ladle to bowls and garnish with parsley.

GOLDEN CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Finely chop the celery, carrots and onion. In a Dutch oven, saute vegetables in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the potatoes, clams, clam juice, 1 cup water, thyme, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until potatoes are tender., Gradually stir in milk; heat through. Combine cornstarch and remaining 1 tablespoon water until smooth; stir into chowder. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in bacon.

CINDY'S AWESOME CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Place the bacon in a large pot and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until crisped and browned, about 10 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon, leaving the drippings in the pot. Set the bacon aside. Stir the potatoes and carrots into the bacon fat. Season with salt and pepper, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Pour the juice from the clams into the pot, and add enough water to just cover the potatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the potatoes are just tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Gently stir the leek soup mix into the potatoes until no lumps of soup remain. Stir in the clams, reserved bacon, and half-and-half cream. Cook and stir until the chowder returns to a simmer and thickens, about 10 minutes more.

THE BEST CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Put the clams in a large, heavy Dutch oven, add about 4 cups water, then set over medium-high heat. Cover, and cook until clams have opened, approximately 10 to 15 minutes. (Clams that fail to open after 15 to 20 minutes should be discarded.) Strain clam broth through a sieve lined with cheesecloth or doubled-up paper towels, and set aside. Remove clams from shells, and set aside as well.
• Rinse out the pot, and return it to the stove. Add butter, and turn heat to medium-low. Add bacon or salt pork, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fat has rendered and the pork has started to brown, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove pork from fat, and set aside.
• Add the leeks to the fat, and cook, stirring frequently, until they are soft but not brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in potatoes and wine, and continue cooking until wine has evaporated and the potatoes have just started to soften, approximately 5 minutes. Add enough clam broth to just cover the potatoes, approximately 3 cups, reserving the rest for another use. Add the thyme and the bay leaf.
• Partly cover the pot, and simmer gently until potatoes are tender, approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, chop the clams into bits about the size of the bacon dice.
• When potatoes are tender, add cream and stir in chopped clams and reserved bacon. Add black pepper to taste. Let come to a simmer, and remove from heat. (Do not let chowder come to a full boil.) Fish out the thyme and the bay leaf, and discard.
• The chowder should be allowed to sit for a while to cure. Reheat it to a bare simmer before serving, then garnish with chopped parsley. Serve with oyster crackers.

OLD-FASHIONED CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Pick over clams, discarding any with cracked shells or that feel heavy, an indication they are full of mud. Rinse them under cold running water to get rid of surface grit. If clams are very gritty, set them in a bowl with brine solution and keep cool, or refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.
• Drain clams, and place in a large, heavy soup kettle; add about 1/2 inch water to kettle, and set over medium heat. Cook, uncovered, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until all clams have opened. As they open, remove them from kettle and set aside. (Any clams that fail to open after 10 to 15 minutes should be discarded.) Strain clam liquor through several layers of cheesecloth into a 2-cup measuring cup, and set aside. Remove clams from shells, and set aside.
• Rinse out soup kettle and return to stove top. Add salt pork, pancetta or bacon dice and 1 tablespoon butter, and cook slowly over medium-low heat until dice brown a little on edges. Use a slotted spoon to remove dice from fat. Set aside.
• Add onions to fat and cook, stirring frequently, until soft but not brown. Stir in potatoes, and continue cooking another 5 minutes, until potatoes begin to soften. Add enough water to clam liquor in measuring cup to make 2 cups; pour this over potatoes. Add black pepper and bay leaves.
• Simmer gently, partially covered, until potatoes are tender. Add whole milk and simmer again. Stir in clams and evaporated milk or cream, stirring gently so as not to break open clam bellies. Taste, and add salt if necessary. Let come just to a simmer, and remove from heat. (Do not let chowder come to a full boil.)
• Chowder can be set in a cool place for several hours to develop flavors. Reheat to a simmer (do not let boil), then stir in chives or parsley and remaining butter just before serving. Pass common crackers at the table if you wish.