Corn and Clam Chowder With Zucchini and Herbs
Published September 5, 2017
Karsten Moran for The New York Times
- Total Time
- 1½ hours
- Rating
- Comments
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Ingredients
8 pounds chowder clams in the shell, scrubbed, (about 30 pieces), or substitute 1 pound chopped fresh clams (about 3 cups)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups diced onion
1 cup diced celery
Salt and pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch of crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon chopped thyme
½ cup medium yellow polenta (not fine)
4 cups water or chicken broth
4 cups clam broth, more as necessary
3 cups cubed potato, preferably yellow-fleshed, like Yukon Gold
3 cups corn kernels, from about 4 ears
4 cups cubed zucchini or other summer squash
2 limes, halved
6 to 8 tablespoons crème fraîche or sour cream
3 tablespoons parsley
1 tablespoon fresh oregano or marjoram
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 to 8 servings)
63 grams carbs; 148 milligrams cholesterol; 687 calories; 5 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 14 grams fat; 6 grams fiber; 3104 milligrams sodium; 78 grams protein; 8 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Set up a clam steamer, or put about 2 inches of water in a large pot with a lid, place over high heat and bring to a boil.
- Step 2
Steam open clams over high heat, covered. Large clams will take about 12 minutes. When cool, shuck the clams. Strain and reserve all clam broth, leaving any sand or grit in the bottom of the pot. Chop meat roughly and set aside. To save time, do this step in advance. (If using chopped clams, skip Step 1 and 2.)
- Step 3
Put olive oil in a heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and celery, season generously with salt and pepper and cook until softened, 5 to 8 minutes.
- Step 4
Add garlic, red pepper and thyme. Stir and let sizzle briefly, then add polenta and stir to coat. Gradually add the water, stirring constantly with a wire whisk as mixture begins to thicken, then add clam broth and bring to a boil. It should now look brothy and just barely thickened.
- Step 5
Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, until polenta grains have softened.
- Step 6
Add potatoes to pot and simmer until just done, 12 to 15 minutes. Taste soup and adjust seasoning. Add more clam broth, if necessary.
- Step 7
Add corn and zucchini and simmer 5 minutes until zucchini is tender. Add chopped clams and cook 2 minutes more.
- Step 8
To serve, ladle soup into individual bowls. Squeeze some lime juice into each portion and top with a dollop of crème fraîche. Sprinkle with parsley and oregano.
Private Notes
Comments
Instead of water only, why not boil cobs in the water after kernels have been removed?
I make corn chowder now and then and the only way to do it is to boil the cobs and use that instead of plain water. Why waste all that flavour?
Made half the recipe and with canned clams. Topped with fresh marjoram and parsley as suggested, which gave it a nice herbal note. Instead of sour cream I added a bit of whole cream at the very end and swirled it in. Excellent. Leftovers were just as good. Definitely recommend!
Hold many cans of clams would you use in this recipe?
Made this using razor clams from the Washington coast. It was a big hit across multiple generations. We did leave out the zucchini, that just didn't seem like a good fit here. Because we had overwintered leeks in the garden, used those instead of onions, and also used overwintered celery, which is quite a bit stronger flavored than commercial celery. My family demanded that I write this up (w variations), to put into our family binder of treasured recipes. Now we just need more razor clams.
Awesome dish BUT it takes a lot longer to prepare than the instructions suggest. We have made it twice. We prep the clams the day before we make the body of the chowder. Consult instructions via internet on how to soak clams (in shells) to get rid of sand and debris prior to steaming. This saves time when shucking and the clams seem cleaner. But it adds 2 hours (passive - the clams just sit) to total prep time. Don’t skip the herbs and lime when serving- they add a lovely flavor.