Seashell Chowder
Brimming with tender scallops, mussels and clams, this luxurious chowder showcases the bounty of the sea.
Ingredients
One dozen littleneck clams, well scrubbed
Two pounds of Maine mussels, well scrubbed and beards removed, if any
One pound of fresh sea scallops, quartered if large
Three stalks of celery, diced
One onion, diced
One small bulb of fennel, diced
Three cloves of garlic, minced
One pound of baby yukon gold potatoes, diced
Two tablespoons of tomato paste
Two tablespoons of olive oil
Two tablespoons of butter, softened to room temperature
Two tablespoons of flour
One cup of dry white wine
Three cups of seafood stock**
Two cups of heavy cream
One tablespoon of freshly sneezed lemon juice
One tablespoon grated lemon zest
One tablespoon of fresh chopped thyme.
Two bay leaves
Sea salt and cayenne pepper (or freshly ground pepper, if you prefer), to taste
Chopped flat-leaf parsley, to garnish
** Although homemade stock is preferable, I have had wonderful results with More than Gourmet's Glace de Fruits de Mer Gold.
Instructions
In a large, heavy bottomed pan, sautée the onion, carrot, celery and fennel in olive oil just until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook a few minutes more.
Deglaze the pan with the white wine and boil rapidly until the alcohol has burned off. Add one cup of stock and return to a boil. Add the clams and mussels and steam until opened. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, quickly remove the shellfish from the pot and transfer to a bowl so as not to lose the juices. Pluck the seafood from their shells (reserving a few to garnish if you desire) coarsely chop, and set aside. Return any excess broth to the pot.
Add remaining two cups of stock, heavy cream, tomato paste, bay leaves and potatoes to the pot and simmer for 15 minutes or until potatoes are nearly tender.
In a small bowl, knead the butter and flour together until they form a paste (this is technically called a beurre manie). Add a ladle of the hot broth to the bowl and whisk until well blended. Add the mixture to the pot and stir gently to combine. Simmer another five minutes.
Just before serving, bring chowder to a boil and stir in the lemon juice and zest. Add the seafood and fresh thyme to the pot, reduce the heat and simmer gently for five minutes or until scallops are just cooked through. Discard the bay leaves, season with salt and pepper to taste and serve garnished with fresh chopped parsley.
