A tribute to a great chef

Fall 2024

By Jean Kerr

As I wrote in the September issue of Points East, I recently hosted a clambake for 30 some people and inevitably, there were leftovers. Making chowder after the fact is a no-brainer, but not necessarily clam chowder. Corn and potatoes are an excellent base, and throwing in some leftover lobster is a treat. Although some cooks use soft shell or steamer clams for chowder, I prefer hard shell clams, but that is another story for another issue.

The thing about chowder is that it takes so many forms. It’s generally thought that the word “chowder” derives from the French word chaudière, roughly translated as hot pot or boiling vessel that French fishermen used for their soups de poisson. In some cases chowder was used as a verb, as in “to chowder a fish.” And while New England chowders may share a common ancestor, there are myriad versions of chowder that have come from all over New England.

Northern New Englanders swear by dairy based chowders, insisting that anything else is an impostor. The classic Manhattan clam chowder has no dairy and is tomato based, with lots of great herbs and alliums. Rhode Island Clam Chowder takes a middle ground, using no tomato but avoiding dairy, as well. And though I risk being drummed out of my hometown by saying it, all three versions can be excellent.

“The New England Yankee Cookbook” (1939, Coward McCann Publishing) includes more than a dozen chowder recipes, and lays down the law about clams, clambakes and their by-products. In his poem “Rhode Island Clambake,” printed in the same volume, by Christopher La Farge, we are cautioned in the fourth stanza:

“O clams that are still fresh from mud!

O lobsters turning slowly red!

O delicate young Irish spud!

O corn whose husk has not been shed!

How well you fit each other’s use

(Unmingled with tomato juice)!”

Whatever your opinions on ingredients, I think what makes a chowder great is the stock, or base, in which the whole thing begins. Most of us don’t have a few pounds of fish heads and bones lying around to make a proper court bouillon, so feel free to use a top-quality, store-bought low-sodium seafood stock. And cook your chowder gently so as to keep the fish or shellfish tender. If you have time to let it sit overnight you’ll find it improves.

Jean Kerr is the author of four cookbooks, including, “Mystic Seafood” and “Maine Windjammer Cooking.” She is the former editor of “Northeast Flavor” magazine and a regular contributor to “Cruising World

Lobster and Corn Chowder

From Jasper WhiteAs a tribute, I’ve included this recipe from Jasper White’s “Cooking from New England.” He passed away this past May, and was a star in my estimation, though he never behaved like some of the “star chefs” I came to meet over the years. He was the real deal: kind, authentic, knowledgeable, and very talented.

 

INGREDIENTS

• 4 1-pound lobsters
• 6 ears corn on the cob (3 1/2 cups kernels)
• 1/2 pound slab bacon
• 8 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 onion, peeled, for stock
• 3 medium onions, cut in large dice, about 3 cups
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 8 small new potatoes, about a pound, red or white, cut in 1/3” slices
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• Chopped chives or parsley for garnish

 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Bring a generous amount of fresh salted water to a boil, enough to cover the lobsters completely when they are added. When water is at a rolling boil, add the lobsters. When the water comes back to a boil, cook the lobster for exactly 3 minutes. Drain. When the lobsters have cooled down enough, break off the tails and claws.

2. Crack the claws and knuckles and carefully remove all the meat. Cut the tails in half lengthwise and remove the intestinal tract. Cut the meat into bite-sized pieces; set aside in the refrigerator. Put all the shells and bodies in a large kettle and cover with 12 cups of water. Bring to a simmer.

3. Cut the corn kernels off the cobs; set aside. Cut the cobs crossways and add to the kettle, DO not add the kernels. Pick the leaves off the fresh thyme and set aside. Put the stems in the kettle. Add the peppercorns, bay leaves, and whole onion. Simmer for an hour and 15 minutes. Strain the stock. (You should have about 6-7 cups.)

4. Cut the bacon in 1/4 inch dice and render in a soup pot until crisp. Add the diced onions, thyme leaves and butter and cook until the onions are wilted and tender (about 6 minutes.) Do not brown. Add the corn kernels, potatoes and stock. Simmer for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are cooked through. Add the cream and lobster meat. Season to taste with salt and pepper and simmer 2 minutes more. Serve in soup plates with the chunks of ingredients sticking out above the broth. Sprinkle each bowl with chopped chives or parsley.

 

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