There’s nothing quite like an authentic Cape Cod Clam Chowder. So, for National Clam Chowder Day on Feb. 25, chowder lovers can whip up a homemade soup courtesy of Executive Chef Glenn MacNayer of Red’s Restaurant & Lounge at Cape Cod’s beloved Sea Crest Beach Hotel.
Recipe yields: 1 gallon of chowder (between eight and 12 portions)
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh chopped littleneck clams
- 2 cups clam juice
- 1 cup Chablis wine
- 1 bunch celery diced small
- 1 large celery root diced small
- large Vidalia onion diced small
- 5 cloves garlic sliced thin
- 4 large Maine potatoes diced ¼” by ¼”
- 1 pound Portuguese chorizo diced small
- 1/2 pound apple smoked bacon diced small
- 1 bunch fresh thyme
- 4 fresh laurel leaves (bay leaves not dry)
- Kosher salt to taste
- Fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 2 quarts extra heavy cream
- Tabasco to taste
Preparation
- 1 You will need a heavy gauge pot with a thick bottom
- 2 Begin by sautéing the bacon, chorizo, onions, celery and garlic together with the butter
- 3 Take the thyme and fresh bay leaves and wrap them with cheesecloth (this is a called a bouquet garni.)
- 4 Add the bouquet garni and cook until bacon and sausage have been rendered down and the vegetables are translucent and tender.
- 5 Add the flour and continue to sauté until flour is completely incorporated in the fat of the pan
- 6 Add the wine, clam juice and potatoes and cook on low heat for about 30 minutes. The potatoes should be tender and the liquid reduced by half.
- 7 Add the cream, salt, pepper, Tabasco and chopped clams.
- 8 Cook for another 20 minutes on low heat.
- 9 Check seasoning and serve with a few littlenecks lightly steamed in the shell, some toasted bread and a nice chilled glass of a buttery Chablis or Chardonnay. Enjoy!
