Finnan haddie meets bouillabaise meets Manhattan clam chowder.
This hearty bouillabaisse-like chowder builds its broth with steamed clams and mussels before adding vegetables, and uses traditional Scottish finnan haddie (see image below for our homemade version of this brined and cold-smoked haddock) as its fish base. We also offer up the neat trick of freezing large clams overnight so they don't require steaming to open, which can easily cause them to overcook.
If you are making this chowder the next day, here's something I love to do: wash the large clams very well, place them in a plastic freezer bag and freeze them overnight. Take them out in the morning and put them in a bowl on the counter to defrost (this will take a few hours). The deep freeze will kill the clams, preserving the uncooked flesh and juices, allowing you to open them barehanded, or with a little leverage from a clam or similar knife. Scrape out the clams, separately reserving the flesh and juice.
Shell shrimp. In a large saucepan, combine the wine, water, salt, peppercorns and bay leaf with the shrimp shells. If you have previously frozen and prepped the large clams, add their juice as well, and bring to a boil. Let simmer while you prep the rest of the ingredients.
Wash the exterior of the small clams and mussels well, discarding any that have passed beyond. If your large clams are still in the shell, add them to the pot with the shrimp shells, cover, and steam until they open - about five to eight minutes. Try not to overcook - as soon as the clams individually open, you can remove them to a large bowl to cool.
With all the large clams steamed open, add the small clams and mussels to the pot, and steam once again until open, about three to five minutes. Remove carefully to a second large bowl with a slotted spoon or skimmer - try to keep the mussel meat from escaping into the broth. Cover with foil and reserve. Dice the large clams, reserving the meat, and pour any leftover broth back into the shrimp shell pot, which should still be at a simmer.
Dice the bacon into small squares or lardons. In a large casserole pan or dutch oven, cook over medium heat until well-rendered but not particularly crisp, 8-10 minutes, then reserve, leaving the fat in the pan. In the meantime, prep your veggies - dice the onion and carrots, slice the celery and fennel, peel and dice the potatoes.
Saute the onion, celery and fennel over medium heat in the bacon fat until softened, 3-5 minutes. Add the carrots and cook a minute or two more, until they get just a bit of color. Add the herbes de provence and cook another minute or so, then add the diced tomato. Carefully pour the shrimp shell broth onto the vegetables through a strainer, leaving behind any grit that may lurk in the bottom of the pot. Add the reserved bacon and the large pinch of saffron, and bring all to a simmer. Cook about 12 minutes, until the potatoes and carrots are just done - test frequently. Cut the finnan haddie into largish chunks, 1 to 2 inches. This is a good place to hold things, until you're ready to serve.
When the carrots and potatoes are just barely tender and you're about ready to eat, add the finnan haddie and simmer until it just flakes, about 2 minutes. Add in the diced large clams, top with the small clams and mussels still in their shells, cover the pot and cook just one minute more, then serve immediately.
We served this with toasted slices of an excellent rye loaf, rubbed with raw garlic and drizzled with olive oil. On request from our spice-loving family members, I also made up a quick rouille, which is traditionally stirred into a bouillabaisse by its end users. The Real Thing is made with a mortar and pestle; I stirred 2 fat microplaned garlic cloves and a teaspoon of cayenne pepper into a quarter cup of mayonnaise. Didn't think it would work with this, but it did, and I wish I'd made a bit more. Serves 3 or 4 as a main course, 6 to 8 as a starter.
Ingredients
Directions
This hearty bouillabaisse-like chowder builds its broth with steamed clams and mussels before adding vegetables, and uses traditional Scottish finnan haddie (see image below for our homemade version of this brined and cold-smoked haddock) as its fish base. We also offer up the neat trick of freezing large clams overnight so they don't require steaming to open, which can easily cause them to overcook.
If you are making this chowder the next day, here's something I love to do: wash the large clams very well, place them in a plastic freezer bag and freeze them overnight. Take them out in the morning and put them in a bowl on the counter to defrost (this will take a few hours). The deep freeze will kill the clams, preserving the uncooked flesh and juices, allowing you to open them barehanded, or with a little leverage from a clam or similar knife. Scrape out the clams, separately reserving the flesh and juice.
Shell shrimp. In a large saucepan, combine the wine, water, salt, peppercorns and bay leaf with the shrimp shells. If you have previously frozen and prepped the large clams, add their juice as well, and bring to a boil. Let simmer while you prep the rest of the ingredients.
Wash the exterior of the small clams and mussels well, discarding any that have passed beyond. If your large clams are still in the shell, add them to the pot with the shrimp shells, cover, and steam until they open - about five to eight minutes. Try not to overcook - as soon as the clams individually open, you can remove them to a large bowl to cool.
With all the large clams steamed open, add the small clams and mussels to the pot, and steam once again until open, about three to five minutes. Remove carefully to a second large bowl with a slotted spoon or skimmer - try to keep the mussel meat from escaping into the broth. Cover with foil and reserve. Dice the large clams, reserving the meat, and pour any leftover broth back into the shrimp shell pot, which should still be at a simmer.
Dice the bacon into small squares or lardons. In a large casserole pan or dutch oven, cook over medium heat until well-rendered but not particularly crisp, 8-10 minutes, then reserve, leaving the fat in the pan. In the meantime, prep your veggies - dice the onion and carrots, slice the celery and fennel, peel and dice the potatoes.
Saute the onion, celery and fennel over medium heat in the bacon fat until softened, 3-5 minutes. Add the carrots and cook a minute or two more, until they get just a bit of color. Add the herbes de provence and cook another minute or so, then add the diced tomato. Carefully pour the shrimp shell broth onto the vegetables through a strainer, leaving behind any grit that may lurk in the bottom of the pot. Add the reserved bacon and the large pinch of saffron, and bring all to a simmer. Cook about 12 minutes, until the potatoes and carrots are just done - test frequently. Cut the finnan haddie into largish chunks, 1 to 2 inches. This is a good place to hold things, until you're ready to serve.
When the carrots and potatoes are just barely tender and you're about ready to eat, add the finnan haddie and simmer until it just flakes, about 2 minutes. Add in the diced large clams, top with the small clams and mussels still in their shells, cover the pot and cook just one minute more, then serve immediately.
We served this with toasted slices of an excellent rye loaf, rubbed with raw garlic and drizzled with olive oil. On request from our spice-loving family members, I also made up a quick rouille, which is traditionally stirred into a bouillabaisse by its end users. The Real Thing is made with a mortar and pestle; I stirred 2 fat microplaned garlic cloves and a teaspoon of cayenne pepper into a quarter cup of mayonnaise. Didn't think it would work with this, but it did, and I wish I'd made a bit more. Serves 3 or 4 as a main course, 6 to 8 as a starter.
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