Clam Chowder

Print this recipe ›

About this Recipe

The next item demonstrated and served was the clam chowder. This is a delicious soup, and is finished with the best of chorizo. The chorizo I always use is made in Cork actually and not in Spain! Fingal Ferguson is an artisan producer based in Schull, Co Cork. His pork products are superbly made and taste great. Very importantly they are easily available (Fallon & Byrne, Lilliput Stores, see www.gubbeen.com for nationwide stockists) Beware, you will become addicted.

You will also need to get your hands on some good clams, so try Kish in Dublin, or any fishmongers. When you bring the clams home, put them in some cold water and into the fridge. This will clean the clams, they’re full of sand and you don’t want that in your soup. Leave them in the water over night or at least for a good half a day.

White Clam and Gubbeen Chorizo Chowder

(while this sounds complicated it really isn’t … a good idea with a long recipe is to sit down and read it from start to finish, then you have a good idea what to before you get started…)

(enough for 6 people)

• 2 kg clams
• 1 kg chorizo, thickly sliced and cut into chunks
• 1 litre of fish stock (I like to make some when I have bits of monkfish tails or shell fish shells, and then freeze it. However if you don’t have any there are plenty of good bought fish stock cubes available, Fallon & Byrne have wonderful large stock cubes which are sold individually, try the Lobster one, and it’s about €1.50)
• 250ml cream
• 250 ml milk
• Lots of fresh dill, roughly chopped
• Lots of fresh parsley, roughly chopped
• Sea salt, Malden
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2oz flour
• 3 tablespoons of dry white wine
• 4 sticks celery, finely diced
• 6 spuds, diced into small cubes
• 6 carrots, finely diced
• 2 tablespoons of lemon juice (just at the end, don’t cook this out or the flavour will disappear
• 1 oz butter

Method

Melt the butter in a large pot, (the Viking Stock Pot, or the Viking Sauté pan 1.9L, is a great size for this see www.vikingrange.com )

Add the diced carrot, potato and celery. Season with Sea salt. It’s important to season at this stage, the salting at this stage will help add a depth of flavour. Pour in the white wine. Cover with a butter wrapper or a circle of grease proof paper, and sauté on a low heat until the vegetables are tender but not mushy! A little bite at this stage is ok, there’s still a bit of cooking to do.

So, once the vegetables are tender, add the flour and cook it through for about two minutes. Again on gentle heat. If you are cooking on the Kuppersbusch induction, set it at 3.

Then you should add the fish stock. I usually warm this through before adding it, but it’s not hugely important. Add the stock gradually, and bring the liquid to the boil, then simmer for ten minutes. Then add the cream and milk.

At the same time heat a pan for the clams and chowder. Add the chorizo to a warm dry pan, cook it slowly so it releases its oil. And then add the clams. When the clams are open add the lot to the soup, including the shells, don’t be bothered removing the fish from the shell. Add the herbs, and check seasoning. At this stage your soup may need a little lemon juice, add the first tablespoon and taste. Lemon juice adds another level of flavour, cutting creaminess and giving your dish a certain morishness.

Serve with homemade brown bread.