Face to face with agently steaming bowl of clam chowder in the hometown of America’s first regional cuisine, one pauses, partly out of respect for an American culinary icon, partly to test gingerly how hot the soup is beneath the steam. It is pure white with specks of thyme leaf on the surface and big chunks of clam and still-firm diced potato beneath the surface. Its creamy, sweet taste is accentuated by the salty tang of clam broth.
It’s no wonder the public’s appetite for clam chowder is as sharp as ever.
In Kittery, Maine, on historic U.S. Route 1 only a mile north of the New Hampshire border, an exemplary roadside stand named Bob’s Clam Hut sells 5,000 servings of chowder in the Hut’s peak month, October.
On Nantucket Island, the Sea Grill restaurant sold 140 gallons in four hours last December during the annual Christmas Stroll.
Jasper White, the Boston chef who advises the Legal Seafood chain, says Legal’s eight area restaurants together sell 32,000 eight-ounce bowls a week.
Legal’s chowder is made with salt pork, fresh clams, cream, butter and some “confidential extras,” White says. The company’s one and only chowder chef has been on the job for 14 years and, in White’s words, the product is “incredibly consistent.”
Looking back, the formulas for New England clam chowder have been incredibly consistent as well, reflecting in some ways the character of the cooks who made it. After all, the first clam chowders were made from what was at hand. When additional, more exotic ingredients became available, New England Puritanism took over. Cooks wouldn’t change, wouldn’t indulge themselves. Chowder was chowder, plain and simple. Perhaps a single herb would be added. Maybe a pat of butter atop each serving. But otherwise cooks stuck with what they knew.
The clam was thriving along the New England shore well in advance of the Pilgrims’ arrival and also before the introduction of chowder. The clam’s vital protein helped save the Pilgrims in their first winter at Plymouth (letters from the Pilgrims mention clams and mussels as food that was “at our doors”).
But once fin fish, pork and beef were available, the mundane clam was demoted to a third-class seafood, often used for bait or to fatten pigs.
In his book “Cod,” Mark Kurlansky presents the case for English, Cornish or French fishermen as the creators of fish “chowder,” the forerunner of clam chowder. The case for the French is based on the large iron pot, a chaudiere, that was standard equipment on their fishing boats. It is an easy jump from chaudiere to chowder.
A rainy day dish
On Nantucket Island, a showcase of New England tradition, “chowder is a rainy-day thing,” says Mark Gottwald, chef/owner of the Ships Inn and an ardent fisherman. “Even if it’s overcast and chilly, people flock to the restaurants to order chowder.”
Clam chowders served in Nantucket restaurants vary sharply. (Usually identified as “quahog chowder,” they cost $2.50 to $5 an order.) “Everything on the island is cream-based,” says E.J. Harvey, owner of the Sea Grill and a company that sells chowder locally and by mail order. “We call ours `island quahog chowder,’ emphasizing the native clam,” he says. (Quahog, by the way, is pronounced “ko-hog.”) His chowder’s fame spread when Sea Grill won first place two years running in the now-defunct Harborfest chowder competition.
At Cioppino’s, the chowder is strongly flavored with dill, tastes sharp and comes with plenty of clams. And at Ships Inn, they serve an elegant “deluxe” chowder, creamy and rich, flavored with Pernod and garnished with small amounts of diced tuna, lobster, halibut and salmon.
The clams
But what are the ingredients of a proper, classic chowder?
Well, clams, of course. Although conditions have improved at several New England clamming areas, subject in recent years to toxic algae and other pollutants, and although harvesters are collecting them more carefully, prices are high, supplies are tight and it is no secret that a significant percentage of “New England” chowder contains Chesapeake Bay clams.
Clams are delicate creatures. Can them and they lose much of their “sparkle.” In cooking, if heated too abruptly or at too high a temperature, they become tough and tasteless. Purists insist on shucking the clams raw or having them shucked (in either case, the juice is saved) because they believe steaming and then reheating the clams toughens them as well.
Hard-shell clams are called “littleneck,” “cherrystone” or “bright,” depending on their size, but on the Massachusetts and Maine coasts, “clam” often gives way to its native American name quahog, which is a nickname. It comes from “poquahock,” a Wampanoag Indian term. Littlenecks are too expensive for commercial use.
Quahogs can reach 7 inches in diameter. Because their size makes them more economical to harvest and open, they supply the meat for most commercial clam chowders. In New England, they are collected by large boats that literally vacuum the sea beds where they dwell.
Supporting roles
Salt pork is a mainstay, but good salt pork is hard to get. “Once upon a time it was salted and wrapped in paper,” says Lydia Shire, chef/owner of Biba in Boston. “Now it is processed in brine and sold in plastic bags. It just doesn’t taste the same.”
Traditional New England chowders had no seasonings other than salt and pepper. “But in this I am no purist,” White says. “I use thyme.” Bay leaves are used often as well. Paprika is good, he believes, though not essential. But Gottwald of Ships Inn regards paprika as “a foreign thing” and chants a mantra of “no salt pork, no tomato, no garnish.”
As for chopped parsley or dill, old-timers regard a scattering of green herb on the surface of a chowder with the same distaste they would register if sand blew onto a plate of salad at a beach picnic.
White says milk was not a common ingredient until the late 1800s. Lydia Maria Child’s recipe in “The American Frugal Housewife,” published in Boston in 1829, mentions the use of water and beer but not milk. But a recipe attributed to Daniel Webster a decade later calls for “a quart of boiling milk.”
As for potatoes, russets are deemed too mealy, waxy potatoes too unctuous. The simple, all-purpose white potato from Maine is ideal.
Celery sneaks into the pot fairly often, especially if the guardians of purity are looking the other way. Finally, placing a pat of butter atop the chowder at serving time is a tradition.
Ubiquitous bowlfuls
White indicts Howard Johnson, the Boston-based restaurant-and-hotel chain, for popularizing-in the 1950s-the flour-thickened, cream-style clam chowder that is nearly ubiquitous in Boston and Cape Cod restaurants today.
This approach invites inexperienced or uncaring cooks to abuse and overuse the roux, a thickener made of flour and butter that causes many chowders to look and taste like wallpaper paste, as one chef puts it.
Pricey, upscale chowders that may or may not contain clams are being created by artistic chefs in the region. For instance, Lydia Shire of Boston’s Biba devised a delicious finnan haddie (smoked haddock) and lobster chowder that is much in demand.
But Gail Perrin, former food editor of the Boston Globe, insists such creations are not from the classic tradition.
“Chowder originally was a humble dish for people who were short of money and ingredients, especially in winter,” she insists.
Things have changed. Few restaurateurs on Nantucket make their chowder from scratch these days. “There’s us and maybe three others,” says the Sea Grill’s Harvey.
Nor do many homemakers make clam chowder any more, according to fishmonger Dave Glidden, owner of Glidden’s fish store on Nantucket.
Waving a long boning knife like a conductor’s baton, he says, “Most of our customers are affluent. They don’t want to make chowder. It’s a lot of work, and messy, to open clams and capture the juice. But minced clams lack flavor, so that leaves us to do it.”
And where does this leave clam chowder? Still on menus all along the New England coast, it remains a popular favorite among local fish-lovers and tourists alike. But the sight of a home cook buying a sack of clams, a sack of potatoes and the other ingredients needed to prepare a from-scratch chowder is fast fading into the mist of culinary nostalgia.
CHOWDERMAKING TIPS
Before starting your own chowder, consider these tips from Howard Mitchum, author of the classic “Provincetown Seafood Cookbook,” now out of print.
Chowder spoils very easily, especially when made in big batches, so never leave the cover on a pot of chowder while it is cooling. To allow air to circulate under the bottom, place the pot on a rack.
Before refrigerating, skim any skin that forms on the top.
Treated properly and refrigerated, a chowder will improve in flavor for two or three days. Plan to eat it within that time. Freezing is not recommended.
BRINGING CHOWDER HOME
To taste New England clam chowder from restaurants cited in this article, consult the following mail-order sources:
Legal Seafood, 800-343-5804. Chowder is sold by the quart ($39.99, including shipping) or by the gallon ($69.99). Orders received by 11 a.m. Tuesday through Friday will be delivered the next day.
Sea Grill, 508-325-0698. Minimum order is two 1-pint containers ($10) plus shipping and handling ($13). Shipped frozen.
Bob’s Clam Hut, 207-439-4233. No regular mail-order service, but will negotiate a price. Ask for Gary, the manager.
BOB’S CLAM HUT CHOWDER
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes
Yield: 14 servings
Adapted from a recipe served at the popular Bob’s Clam Hut in Kittery, Maine.
2 medium potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 small onion, minced
1 rib celery, chopped
5 cups clam juice
1 cup water
1 tablespoon fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce or to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
Freshly ground pepper
2 cups minced clams
4 cups whipping cream
1. Combine potatoes, onion, celery, 1 cup of the clam juice, 1 cup water, thyme, butter, Worcestershire, salt and pepper to taste in stockpot or Dutch oven. Heat to boil, stirring often. Reduce heat; simmer until potatoes are soft, about 20 minutes.
2. Stir in clams; cook 5 minutes. Add remaining 4 cups clam juice and cream to clam mixture. Heat to simmer, about 10 minutes. Do not boil.
Nutritional information per serving:
Calories ………… 290 Fat ………… 27 g Saturated fat .. 16 g
% calories from fat .. 81 Cholesterol .. 100 mg Sodium ……. 545 mg
Carbohydrates ……. 8 g Protein ……… 6 g Fiber ……… 0.5 g
REAL NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER
Preparation time: 35 minutes
Standing time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
Adapted from “Simply Cape Cod,” by the Sandwich Junior Women’s Club.
2 pounds clams in shell
4 ounces salt pork, chopped
2 medium potatoes, peeled, 1/2-inch dice
1 onion, chopped
2 to 3 cups scalded milk or half-and-half
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
Freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1. Place clams in salted water to cover; let stand 20 minutes. Scrub; place in steamer above 2 cups water. Cover and steam until clams open. Discard any clams that do not open. Remove meat from shells; rinse under warm water. Mince clam meat. Strain broth through doubled cheesecloth. Set both aside.
2. Cook salt pork in large skillet until golden and fat is rendered, about 8 minutes. Remove cracklings; reserve. Add potatoes and onions to rendered pork fat. Cook, stirring frequently, until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes, adding water if needed.
3. Add scalded milk, strained clam broth and chopped clams to potato mixture. Add thyme and pepper to taste. Heat slowly. Do not boil, but heat until hot. Whisk in butter.
Variations: In New Bedford, one cook’s chowder contains 1/2 pounds of cod fillet, 2 chopped quahogs and evaporated milk.
A chowder from Rhode Island calls for 1 bunch celery, thinly sliced, referring to it as a “key ingredient.”
A Connecticut chowder is prepared from a roux and flavored with Madeira.
Nutritional information per serving:
Calories ………… 320 Fat ……….. 21 g Saturated fat .. 9 g
% calories from fat .. 61 Cholesterol .. 60 mg Sodium …… 395 mg
Carbohydrates …… 17 g Protein ……. 14 g Fiber …….. 1.2 g
MANHATTAN CLAM CHOWDER
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Yield: 10 servings
From Connecticut, which may qualify as neutral territory in the chowder war between New York and Boston, comes this Manhattan recipe, adapted from “Classic Connecticut Cuisine,” by the Hebron, Conn., Easter Seals organization.
2 cans (6 ounces each) whole clams
1 can (6 1/2 ounces) minced clams
6 slices bacon, chopped
2 cans (8 ounces each) tomato sauce
2 medium onions, chopped
4 carrots, peeled, chopped
4 unpeeled potatoes, cut in 1/4-inch dice
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
1 tablespoon fresh thyme or
1 teaspoon dry
1 bay leaf
1. Drain clams, reserving liquid. Combine reserved liquid with enough water to measure 4 cups.
2. Cook bacon in stockpot or Dutch oven until crisp. Stir in 2 cups water and tomato sauce. Add onions, carrots, potatoes, celery, salt, white pepper, thyme and bay leaf; mix well.
3. Heat to boil; reduce heat to simmer. Simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add clam liquid mixture; mix well. Simmer until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Stir in clams. Discard bay leaf.
Nutritional information per serving:
Calories …………. 190 Fat ………… 7 g Saturated fat .. 2.4 g
% calories from fat .. 31 Cholesterol .. 40 mg Sodium …….. 965 mg
Carbohydrates ……. 22 g Protein ……. 12 g Fiber ………… 3 g
Other New England specialties
Boston baked beans, brown bread, lobster roll, Indian pudding, cod fish cakes, Boston cream pie
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SEND US YOUR COMMENTS
As we continue our journey through America’s regional specialties, we welcome readers’ comments and suggestions. Write to us (Good Eating, Chicago Tribune, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Ill. 60611) or post your messages to our special Web site: bancodeprofissionais.com/go/eat
SERIES SCHEDULE
Gulf: Key lime pie
Southeast: Carolina barbecue
Mid-Atlantic: Shoofly pie
Mountain and Pacific: Cobb salad
Southwest: Indian fry bread (and) Chicken-fried steak
The nation: Thanksgiving classics
Midwest and central: Persimmon pudding
Mountain and Pacific: Baked salmon
New England: Clam chowder
UPCOMING
Midwest and central: Toasted ravioli
Gulf: Oyster poor-boys
