Corn and Clam Chowder With Zucchini and Herbs

Name: Corn and Clam Chowder With Zucchini and Herbs
Total time: 2 h
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
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; 1/2 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

By David Tanis

Total Time: 1½ hours
Rating: 4(154)
Comments: Read comments

Summer corn and clam chowder is like a clambake in a bowl, emphasizing the sweetness of each ingredient. To give the chowder a somewhat Italian slant and to magnify the corn flavor, a handful of polenta is used to thicken the broth slightly, as is the case with certain Tuscan vegetable soups. Steam your own clams, if possible, or buy chopped clams from the fishmonger.

Featured in: A Clam Chowder That Tastes Like Summer

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Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings

8pounds chowder clams in the shell, scrubbed, (about 30 pieces), or substitute 1 pound chopped fresh clams (about 3 cups)
2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2cups diced onion
1cup diced celery
Salt and pepper
2cloves garlic, minced
Pinch of crushed red pepper
1teaspoon chopped thyme
½cup medium yellow polenta (not fine)
4cups water or chicken broth
4cups clam broth, more as necessary
3cups cubed potato, preferably yellow-fleshed, like Yukon Gold
3cups corn kernels, from about 4 ears
4cups cubed zucchini or other summer squash
2limes, halved
6 to 8tablespoons crème fraîche or sour cream
3tablespoons parsley
1tablespoon fresh oregano or marjoram

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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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.

Ratings

4 out of 5

154 user ratings

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Comments

Jim7 years ago

Instead of water only, why not boil cobs in the water after kernels have been removed?

Dwight Hoyes7 years ago

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?

Tim Carroll7 years ago

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!

Tracy1 month ago

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.

Liz P1 year ago

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.

S2 years ago

Wife is not a clam fan. I subbed pan seared (just enough to caramelize) wild caught sea scallop pieces. We only added them at the end so as to keep them tender and not overcooked. I might have used whole scallops, but the pieces are just as tasty and less than half the price.

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