Clam Chowder With Spinach and Dill
This recipe is by David Tanis and takes 1 hour. Tell us what you think of it at The New York Times - Dining - Food.
- Total:
- Serves: 6 persons
Ingredients
- 48small clams, like littleneck or Manila, well rinsed
- 1tablespoon olive oil
- 1tablespoon butter
- 2cups diced onion
- 2cups diced leek
- Salt and pepper
- Pinch cayenne
- 1cup diced celery
- 2bay leaves
- 1large thyme sprig
- 6ounces thick-sliced smoked bacon
- 2pounds potatoes, peeled and diced
- ½pound spinach, cooked briefly, squeezed dry and chopped
- 8tablespoons crème fraîche
- Zest of one small lemon
- 2tablespoons chopped dill
- ½cup thinly sliced scallions
Instructions
Step 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.Step 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.Step 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.Step 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.Step 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.