Nothing beats a rich, warm chowder – a soup or a stew prepared with milk or cream – on a cold night. This one also features coconut milk for a more complex flavour and is packed with bacon and clams but you could easily adapt it to include your favourite shellfish.
Clam, yellow corn and coconut chowder
Serves 4
50g butter
50g smoked streaky bacon, cut into 1cm pieces
1 white onion, finely chopped
500g clams
300ml milk
200ml coconut milk
100ml double cream
200g Maris Piper potatoes
1 sweetcorn husk
1 small red chilli
1 spring onion
Place a large saucepan on a medium heat and add the butter. When it starts to foam, add the bacon and cook for two minutes until the bacon starts to lightly colour before adding the onion. Cook the onion until soft and translucent.
Next add the clams to the pan, place the lid on top and cook for five minutes or until the clams open (take care not to overcook the clams or they will become tough) before taking the pan off the heat and emptying the contents into a colander, making sure you keep the cooking juices.
Now pick the clams from the shells and discard the shells. Place the clams, onion and bacon to one side.
Place the pan back on a medium heat and add the juices the clams were cooked in alongside the milk, coconut milk and cream, then bring to a simmer.
Peel and cut the potatoes into 1cm dice. Run a knife down the husk of corn to remove the kernels and add them to the pan along with the potato. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes, so that the potato is soft and cooked through.
To finish, finely slice the red chilli and spring onion and add them to the simmering chowder along with the reserved clams, onion and bacon.
Warm four large bowls before distributing the chowder between them and serving.
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