Stashcook: Meal Planner & Recipe Keeper

Clam Chowder With Spinach and Dill Recipe

Clam Chowder With Spinach and Dill recipe

Ingredients

48 small clams, like littleneck or Manila, well rinsed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 cups diced onion
2 cups diced leek
Salt and pepper
Pinch cayenne
1 cup diced celery
2 bay leaves
1 large thyme sprig
6 ounces thick-sliced smoked bacon
2 pounds potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 pound spinach, cooked briefly, squeezed dry and chopped
8 tablespoons crème fraîche
Zest of one small lemon
2 tablespoons chopped dill
1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions

Method

1
Put clams in a large deep skillet and add 4 cups water. Cover tightly with lid and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-high and continue cooking until all clams have opened, about 5 minutes. Remove lid and let clams cool. Shuck clams, discarding shells, and reserve in small bowl. Strain broth through a fine-meshed sieve. You should have about 3 1/2 cups clam juice. Keep warm over low heat.
2
Put olive oil and butter in a wide heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and leek, season with salt, pepper and cayenne, and cook until softened, about five minutes. Add celery, bay leaves and thyme sprig and cook for 5 minutes more.
3
Meanwhile, bring 1 cup water to a boil in a small pot. Cut bacon crosswise into 1/2-inch lardons. Simmer lardons for 2 minutes, then drain. Add lardons to soup pot, along with potatoes. Season generously, stir to coat and cook for 1 minute.
4
Add 3 1/2 cups warm clam broth and bring pot to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until potatoes are tender, about 7 to 10 minutes. Check seasoning.
5
Just before serving, add reserved shucked clams, stir in spinach and heat through. Stir together crème fraîche and lemon zest and season to taste. Ladle soup into wide bowls. Add a tablespoon of crème fraîche mixture to each bowl and sprinkle with dill and scallions.