New England Clam Chowder

I ate this soup a couple of times while I was on holiday trips in the USA. 

Checking the recipes from New England, Boston, San Francisco and Seattle I discovered that everybody had their favourite version, but in the end it came down to a veggies soup with a special kind of protein.

Some Chefs use flour, some cream and others a roux to make the soup smooth. I went my own way with a mix of roux and cream. Not too thick a soup like a paste. I had some bad versions on my trips.

Recipe for 4:

100 g Bay Scallops defrosted

60 g shrimps defrosted

5 small potatoes

2 small carrots

1 parsnip

50 g leek

120 g smoked bacon bits

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp flour

40 ml Noilly Prat

150 ml milk

Nutmeg, white pepper, lemon salt

400 ml fish stock

150 ml veg stock

100 ml double cream

1 bay leaf

2 tbsp fresh chopped dill

Peel and cut all veggies in bite size chunks.

Prepare the roux first in a small pot and set aside.

In a large pot fry the bacon without oil. Add the washed veggies and give them a good stir. Now pour in fish stock and veg stock and add the bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and cover with a lid. Cook for 12 min. Check the seasoning.

Add the defrosted shrimps and the roux. Keep on medium heat to dissolve the roux. Add the clams and the cream, give them 2 min and finish with dill.

Do not freeze the leftovers. The clams will become like rubber balls.