CLAM CHOWDER MY WAY

Makes 4 to 6 servings

I started chowdering at home when I realized that I wanted the nourishing

soup in winter but was only having it during beach season. While the clam

chowder I grew up on was the creamy kind known as New England style, the

soup I turn to most is one of my own imagining, a riff on a New England

version that nods to Thailand. Instead of cream, I use coconut milk. And

instead of the traditional aromatics, I go for ginger and lemongrass, cilantro,

basil and, if I can find it, kaffir lime. As for the pancetta, Yukon Golds,

Vidalia onions and jalapeño? Not a bit Thai, I know, but so good in the mix.

If you want a more traditional New England chowder, look at the sidebar

below.

a word on the clams and clam juice

I prefer to use chopped raw clams, either fresh or frozen, which I buy from a

fishmonger or a supermarket (some markets sell them frozen by the quart;

each quart contains about ¾ pound clams and ¼ cup liquid, which I pour

into the soup pot). If all you can find are canned minced clams, use them. As

for the juice, buy it in bottles or cans, and look for a brand that contains only

clam juice or broth and salt. Of course you can make chowder with fresh

clams that you cook first in water with aromatics. If you do this, you’ll get

the clams and the juice, which you’ll want to strain (it can be sandy).

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

¼ cup (57 grams) diced pancetta

1 large sweet onion, such as Vidalia, finely chopped, rinsed and patted dry

2 celery stalks, including leaves, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon minced fresh lemongrass (tender inner bulb only) or 1 teaspoon dried or

from a tube

1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger

2 garlic cloves, germ removed (see sidebar) and minced

About 1 teaspoon minced jalapeño

1 bay leaf

1 kaffir lime leaf

Fine sea salt

2¾ cups (660 ml) clam juice (see headnote)

¾ pound (340 grams) Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes

One 13½-ounce (400-ml) can coconut milk (not lite)

¾ pound (340 grams) chopped clams (see headnote)

Freshly ground pepper

¼ cup (10 grams) minced mixed fresh herbs, such as basil, cilantro and dill, for serving

Oyster crackers, for serving (optional)

WOR K I NG A H E A D

You can make the chowder through the point where the potatoes are cooked and then

refrigerate it overnight before finishing.

Working in a Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium heat, melt the

butter, then add the pancetta, onion, celery, lemongrass, ginger, garlic,

jalapeño, bay leaf and kaffir lime, if you’ve got it. Stir everything around

until it’s glossed with butter, season lightly with salt and reduce the heat to

low. Cook, stirring, just until the onion is soft and translucent, about 10

minutes. Stay close — you don’t want anything to color.

Pour in the clam juice and add the potatoes. Bring to a boil, lower the heat

and let the potatoes simmer until they’re cooked through and tender — poke

one with the tip of a knife, and it should give easily — about 20 minutes. (You

can make the soup to this point, cover and refrigerate it overnight. Bring to a

boil before continuing.)

Stir the coconut milk into the soup — from this point on, you don’t want it

to get above a gentle simmer: Coconut milk will curdle if you boil it. Give the

milk about a minute to warm, then drop in the clams and simmer until they

are cooked through or, if they were cooked to begin with, warm. Taste the

soup for salt (it might not need any) and pepper. Remove the bay and lime

leaves.

Ladle the chowder into bowls, sprinkle with the herbs and crackers, if

you’d like, and serve immediately — this soup is best very hot or chilled;

anything in between will be pale and uninteresting.

S TO R I N G : The chowder will keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days

and can be reheated gently — don’t boil.

NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER

Omit the lemongrass, ginger, jalapeño and kaffir lime. When you add the bay

leaf, add the leaves from a few sprigs of thyme. Before you add the clam

juice, sprinkle ¼ cup all-purpose flour over the onions and celery and cook,

stirring, for about 2 minutes. Then, if you’d like, pour over ¼ cup white

wine, raise the heat and cook until it’s almost evaporated. Proceed with the

recipe, but instead of adding coconut milk, add 1 cup whole milk and 1 cup

heavy cream. Warm — don’t boil — and then add the clams. Serve with

chopped dill and/or parsley, if you’d like. With this chowder, oyster crackers

are not optional — they’re a must.