I've enjoyed Legal Seafoods' recipe, although it's been quite a while and I don't remember what I did about the fish stock. I pulled this off another site so I can't guarantee it's exactly what's in their recipe book, but it probably is:

Legal Seafoods Clam Chowder
Ingredients
4 quarts littleneck clams (about 1-2/3 cups cooked and chopped)
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 cup water
2 ounces salt pork, finely chopped
2 cups chopped onions
3 tablespoons flour
1-1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled, and diced into 1/2-inch cubes
4-1/2 cups clam broth
3 cups fish stock
2 cups light cream
Oyster crackers (optional)

Instructions
Clean the clams and place them in a large pot along with the garlic and water. Steam the clams just until opened, about 6 to 10 minutes, depending upon their size. Drain and shell the clams, reserving the broth. Mince the clam flesh, and set aside. Filter the clam broth either through coffee filters or cheesecloth and set aside. In a large, heavy pot slowly render the salt pork. Remove the cracklings and set them aside. Slowly cook the onions in the fat for about 6 stirring frequently, or until cooked through but not browned. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the reserved clam broth and Fish Stock, and whisk to remove any flour lumps. Bring the liquid to boil, add the potatoes, lower the heat, and simmer until the potatoes are cooked through, about 15 minutes. Stir in the reserved clams, salt-pork cracklings, and light cream. Heat the chowder until it is the temperature you prefer. Serve in large soup bowls with oyster crackers on the side.

Serves 8

I made this one time and thought it was pretty good. It was not overly thick. I did add some cooked chopped bacon to the recipe.

EAST HAMPTON CLAM CHOWDER - Barefoot Contessa, Family Style

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, divided
2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
2 cups medium-diced celery (4 stalks)
2 cups medium-diced carrots (6 carrots)
4 cups peeled medium-diced boiling potatoes (8 potatoes)
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves (1/2 teaspoon dried)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 quart (4 cups) clam juice*
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
3 cups chopped fresh chowder clams (1 1/2 pounds shucked clams)

Melt 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) of the butter in a large heavy-bottomed stockpot. Add the onions and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, or until translucent.

Add the celery, carrots, potatoes, thyme, salt, and pepper and saute for 10 more minutes.

Add the clam juice, bring to a boil, and simmer, uncovered, until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.

In a small pot, melt the remaining 8 tablespoons of butter and whisk in the flour. Cook over very low heat for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.

Whisk in a cup of the hot broth and then pour this mixture back into the cooked vegetables. Simmer for a few minutes until the broth is thickened.

Add the milk and clams and heat gently for a few minutes to cook the clams. Taste for salt and pepper. Serve hot.

*If you use bottled clam juice instead of fresh, you may need to add more salt.

Serves 6 to 8

I think there was a post on Clam Chowder about 2 months ago ?????
Lou

This is my favorite chowder recipe. I often substitute clams for the fish and it is sublime.....

NEW ENGLAND FISH CHOWDER by Jasper White

To me, this is the most authentic and most important recipe in this book. It is the gold standard for chowder: a hearty main course with deep flavors, luxurious texture, and generous chunks of fish, onion, and potato. New England Fish Chowder is easy to make, uses simple ingredients, and doesn2equire you to be fussy or exact. After making this chowder a few times, you will begin to understand the Zen of chowder.

4 ounces meaty salt pork, rind removed and cut into 1/3-inch dice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 medium onions (14 ounces), cut into 3/4-inch dice
6 to 8 sprigs fresh summer savory or thyme, leaves removed and chopped (1 tablespoon)
2 dried bay leaves
2 pounds Yukon Gold, Maine, PEI, or other all-purpose potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/3-inch thick
5 cups Strong Fish Stock, Traditional Fish Stock, Chicken Stock, or water (as a last resort)
Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 pounds skinless haddock or cod fillets, preferably over 1 inch thick, pinbones removed
1 1/2 cups heavy cream (or up to 2 cups if desired)
For garnish
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives

1. Heat a 4- to 6-quart heavy pot over low heat and add the diced salt pork. Once it has rendered a few tablespoons of fat, increase the heat to medium and cook until the pork is a crisp golden brown. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cracklings to a small ovenproof dish, leaving the fat in the pot, and reserve until later.

2. Add the butter, onions, savory or thyme, and bay leaves to the pot and sauté, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, for about 8 minutes, until the onions and softened but not browned.

3. Add the potatoes and stock. If the stock doesnÂ#over the potatoes, add just enough water to cover them. Turn up the heat and bring to a boil, cover, and cook the potatoes vigorously for about 10 minutes, until they are soft on the outside but still firm in the center. If the stock hasnÂ4hickened lightly, smash a few of the potato slices against the side of the pot and cook for a minute or two longer to release their starch. Reduce the heat to low and season assertively with salt and pepper (you want to almost overseason the chowder at this point to avoid having to stir it much once the fish is added). Add the fish fillets and cook over low heat for 5 minutes, then remove the pot from the heat and allow the chowder to sit for 10 minutes (the fish will finish cooking during this time).

4. Gently stir in the cream and taste for salt and pepper. If you are not serving the chowder within the hour, let it cool a bit, then refrigerate; cover the chowder after it has chilled completely. Otherwise, let it sit for up to an hour at room temperature, allowing the flavors to meld.

5. When ready to serve, reheat the chowder over low heat; donÂ,et it boil. Warm the cracklings in a low oven (200 °F) for a few minutes.

6. Use a slotted spoon to mound the chunks of fish, the onions, and potatoes in the center of large soup plates or shallow bowls, and ladle the creamy broth around. Scatter the cracklings over the individual servings and finish each with a sprinkling of chopped parsley and minced chives.

CookÂ
otes
Cod and haddock are very similar, but large haddock is just a little firmer and doesnÂ"reak up quite as much as cod, making it easier to produce a chowder with large chunks of fish. But even more important than the type of fish is the way you prepare it. Both cod and haddock, and their cousins pollack and hake, all flake apart naturally. Therefore, it isnÂ.ecessary to cut them into pieces. Simply add the whole fillets to the chowder, cook it a few minutes longer, and remove it from the heat, without stirring it again. When you reheat the chowder, the fillets will break into lovely big chunks of tender white fish. Most fish can be used for New England Fish Chowder, but if the fish you choose is not native to New England, then your chowder should be called "New England style." Depending on their tendency to break up naturally, some fish need to be cut into pieces.

Strong Fish Stock made with the heads and bones from the cod or haddock you buy for chowder is by far the best choice for this recipe. I urge you to make it, but if you canÂ4here are alternatives listed in the recipe.

For equipment, you will need a 4- to 6-quart heavy pot with a lid, a slotted spoon, a wooden spoon, and a ladle.

Makes about 14 cups; serves 8 as a main course.

Joe, I'm sure you're right about that thread, but whatever! Can someone post a delicious red chowder for me? I keep buying it at Santa Monica Seafoods but it's so pricey! DH and I love it!

Ellen, I don't remember where I got this one, but it's not mine. Sorry for not remembering, but here it is. Maybe someone will recognize the source:

Manhattan Clam Chowder

3 slices bacon cut into 1/2 -inch pieces
1 medium onion; diced
1 small, sweet bell pepper; diced
2 cloves garlic; minced
1 (10 oz.) can baby clams (or 1 bag fresh)
1 (8 oz.) bottle clam juice
1 (14.5 oz) Italian seasoned tomatoes
1 medium/large red or Yukon gold potato; cut into small cubes
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
kosher salt to taste
fresh ground pepper to taste
1 tablespoon flat leaf parsley

In a large saucepan, fry bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan and set aside leaving drippings. Sauté onion and bell pepper in bacon drippings until softened. Add garlic and continue to cook for 1 minute. Stir in clam juice from bottle. Drain clams reserving liquid and add to pot setting clams aside. Stir in tomatoes along with their liquid, add potatoes and thyme. Season with salt and pepper and simmer until the potatoes are tender.
Stir in clams and heat through. (If using fresh clams, continue to simmer covering pot until clam shells open, discarding all that do not.) Do not overcook after adding the seafood. Ladle the chowder into bowls and sprinkle with parsley and reserved bacon to serve.

I prefer the New England style, but it does upset my stomach. Still, sometimes I decide that it is worth the minor discomfort. It's not painful, but I can travel after eating it.

I wanted to make a Rhode Island Lobster soup for my birthday from the cookbook Lori gave me, but decided against it because of the milk and cream. I have bought the NE clam chowder from SM Seafoods, but I didn't know they had the red version as well. They are definitely pricey, but everything I've had from there was excellent.

Lars

This is my favorite recip for clam chowder from my friend Mary Beth.

New England Clam Chowder

1/4c diced salt pork
1c diced onion
5 6-1/2 oz cans minced clams
3 medium potatoes pared and cubed
3c light cream
1/4c butter
1/2tsp salt
1/8tsp pepper

In a 3 quart saucepan, cook salt pork over medium heat to render fat.
Remove cracklings and reserve. Pour off all but 2T fat, add onion and cook
until golden. Drain clams and reserve liquid. Add clam juice and potatoes
to onions, bring to boil. Cook until potatoes are tender (10 minutes). Add
clams, cream, butter, cracklings, and seasonings. Heat but DO NOT BOIL.
(Add 1/4c flour mixed with water to thicken, if desired.) Serves 8

Linda

Despite several trips to New England over the years, this ignorant little Southern gal had somehow managed to go a lifetime without ever tasting clam chowder. (Hard to believe, I know.) When I was in Boston last summer, my hosts took me to dinner at Legal Seafoods. Salivating at the thought of fresh Maine lobster, I didn't even want to bother with a starter course, but they finally coaxed me into ordering a small cup of chowder. Well, forget the lobster -- after 2 bites, I was ready to run into the kitchen and dive head-first into the soup vat! :)

Omigosh, it was sooo fine! Because I was so enamored with it, my wonderfully generous friends had a gallon shipped to us from LS so my family could enjoy it over the holidays. It was everyone else's first taste of clam chowder, too, and they all went nuts. I really hadn't considered that it might be something I could duplicate, so I was very excited to read this post.

But here's my (multi-part) question... How do you make fish stock? I make shrimp stock regularly. Try to always have some in the freezer, in fact, since it's absolutely essential in etouffee and jambalaya and lots of dishes I make all the time. Is it the same process, just simmering onions, carrots, celery and garlic in water, substituting fish parts for the shrimp shells and tails? If so, where do I get fish heads and all that other yukky stuff? We're so far inland that almost everything arrives filleted and frozen. Do I have to wait for my sons to go fishing? :) Or can I just sub shrimp stock for fish stock without affecting the taste adversely?

Thanks so much for any help you can offer.

Caliloo, Jason's recipe looks absolutely amazing! Thank you for posting that. I think that's the one I'll try once I figure out the stock thing.....

sm

I think the recipe of Jasper White's looks really good too. I used to love seeing him cook on Sara Moulton's old show (he used to be a guest quite a bit).

Thanks Lars! I'll try wrapping my head around cooking with bacon grease (love the bacon) and I'll give it a try!
I agree SM Seafood is very good, but their employees need a refresher course in good ole customer service. Rarely does the fishmonger give a damn about whatever I'm buying. Actually the salmon DH brought home this week wasn't as good as Gelson's.

If you have a good fish market near you, I would ask them about availability of getting a cod or haddock that has been just gutted (or headed and gutted) rather than filleted. That would give you the racks to prepare the fish stock. I found another copy of this recipe whre it says you can use the bones from sole, flounder, halibut and/or turbot. Would any of those be easier for you to come by instead of cod or haddock? Also, if you have pollack available, definitely consider it for chowder. It is a wonderfully mild white fish. I guess if you really cant get the stuff for fish stock, then I would try the shrimp stock or combination of shrimp stock and clam juice.

I did find Jasper White's Rich Fish stock recipe on the Food & Wine site.....

Rich Fish Stock

MAKES ABOUT 2 QUARTS

ingredients
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 medium celery ribs, thinly sliced crosswise
2 medium onions, thinly sliced crosswise
2 medium carrots, thinly sliced crosswise
2 bay leaves
6 to 8 thyme sprigs
1/4 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns
4 pounds nonoily fish bones, heads and trimmings, rinsed well
1/4 cup dry white wine
6 cups very hot tap water
Sea salt

directions

Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the celery, onions, carrots, bay leaves, thyme, parsley and peppercorns to the saucepan and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, about 8 minutes. Stir in the fish bones, heads and trimmings and the wine. Cover and cook, stirring once, until the bones turn completely white, about 15 minutes.
Add the hot water, stir gently and bring to a simmer over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir once and let stand for 10 minutes. Strain the stock through a fine sieve. Season lightly with salt and let cool, then refrigerate.

MAKE AHEAD The stock can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen in an airtight container for 1 month.

Recipe by Jasper White
From Simple Seafood : recipes from Jasper White
This recipe originally appeared in July, 2000.

Thanks, caliloo. That was very helpful! Now I know exactly what to look for.

sm

I don't have my mom's recipe (not sure she even had it written down!) but she liked a thin chowder, so always used milk and not cream. (in a pinch she would use canned clams, too. *gasp*) I know we always had bottles of clam juice lying around (and Clamato juice- ew, to me as a kid).

I also don't remember bacon or salt pork flavors in her chowder, though that might be because she always tried to cook low-salt for my grandma.

now you've got me thinking about making chowdah!!

SM - I just remembered what I used for fish stock. "More than Gourmet" sells a concentrate - if you can't find it locally they also do mail order. I've had success with their products

Thanks everyone.

I like dixiedog's posted recipe because it seems to be the only one with any herbs in it and it's described as "not overly thick".

I plan on tweaking the recipe to make it subtley Italian. That is, I will start with pancetta (in lieu of bacon) and will add a few Italian herbs (basil, fennel leaf, marjoram).

Joe

Oh no, Joe - only thyme - at least for your first chowder. Then, fool around. But start with the classic.

Otherwise, why ask?

"Otherwise, why ask?"

seagrass: I've made clam chowder before. Many many times. Including the "classics" (you'd be surprised at how many "classics" there are). Can't remember any recipes and couldn't find any on-line that I really thought were what I wanted.

I want to make a subtley-Italian version of New England Clam Chowder and I'm looking for a base from which to start. Maybe I should have said this in my starting post, yes?

I think this is a common exercise in this forum -- many people ask for recipes and then tweak them to their own personal tatses. It's not a dismissal or slight of anyone's original recipe. I don't mean to offend anyone.

Joe

It's ok Joe - just so long as you don't pour it over linguini!

;)

Just between you and me James -- and don't tell anyone else -- I'm trying to create a unique clam chowder recipe for the restaurant I now work at. It's a family-style Italian restaurant right on Morro Bay (it actually overhangs the Bay). They currently don't have a clam chowder on the menu and I need to make it "Italian".

Joe

Sounds like fun - Good luck with that! And don't worry, I won't tell anyone what you're up to, just so long as you send either your final recipe or a frozen batch of soup.