Quahog Chowder with Cod Fish

Quahog and Cod Chowder

These quahogs were a gift from Rick Bebeault, local foods enthusiast and Cape Cod Bay

Ingredients:  1 pound Quahog Meats, 1 large Codfish Fillet, 6 Potatoes, Butter, Olive Oil, Milk, Heavy Cream, Celery leaves, Shallots, Bay Leaves, Thyme, Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper, White wine for cooking or cooking sherry,

(Optional ingredient:salt pork, bacon ends, pancetta or smoked fatback 2 ounce slab.) 

Mise en Place- Have the quahogs all deshelled- Shallots sliced and diced, celery leaves there, potatoes diced with peels still on leave the Cod fillet whole.

Melt ½ stick of butter and add 1 t. Olive oil

*this is where you would add the fat back or bacon or whatever- you will pull it out later.

Add shallots and celery leaves to pan, cook on low to translucency

Add quahogs, thyme (leaves only ), bay leaves, salt and pepper to taste

Sauté until coated with yummy flavors 20 minutes add ½ c white wine or sherry

Lower heat simmer ½ hour adding 3/4 cup water to create a broth

Take solid mixture (not broth) and chop by hand, or chop in food processor FINELY.  Return this to the pan.

After ½ hour add potatoes, cook to doneness not too mushy, not too firm either

Cook ½ hour to meld flavors, in the last five minutes add another ½ stick butter mix well

When the butter has melted from the heat of the potatoes and mixture, remove from heat, cool slightly

Add 1/3 cup milk, ¼ cup heavy cream mix gently (you are tempering this mixture.)

When blended add two additional cups milk 1 cup heavy cream, COD goes in now- and more thyme, salt and pepper

Cook on low heat until chowder has a warm and uniform flavor and taste.

serve with crusty bread and butter.