MEMORIES:
Kapatsos remembers...Love the stuff!! its a fave around here since clam digging is a big thing to do around here More »
Posted on 09/19/08
PHOTOS:
Avast! The fish-adverse be warned, there be seafood ahead, and lots of it!
Clam chowder is serious stuff to its fans – enough to foster heated debate on what kind is “best” (though not serious enough for anyone to really pin down the person who created the first delicious bowl.) The origins can be traced, however, to the New England fishermen of the days of yore who would take a part of their daily catch and combine it with a variety of easy-to-find local ingredients in large pots to feed themselves and their families. Today, clam chowders can be found in three distinct styles (with boundaries being crossed in many a version): creamy New England style, tomato-y Manhattan style, and the clear and briny Rhode Island version.
Undoubtedly the favorite of many (and the favorite from many a purist,) the New England clam chowder (pronounced “chow-dah” to New Englanders) is creamy and white, chock full of delicious clam meat, made rich and decadent with pork drippings, and embellished with herbs, potatoes and sautéed onions. Rarely will one find other vegetables in a true New England-style clam chowder, though occasionally thinly sliced bits of carrots are added for color. The New England style has caught on through the years over on the West Coast where they boast up to over 500 varieties of clams, making it a great spot to catch a fresh bowl of chowder. In San Francisco, clam chowder is usually served in one of their famous sourdough bread bowls, a pairing that is certain to delight to the last bite.
But let’s get back to the East Coast for a moment and stir the pot a little. Just down the shore from New England, Manhattan chowder eaters took their version in a completely different direction. Eschewed by New England fanatics, Manhattan clam chowder, once known as “Coney Island clam chowder” and “Fulton Fish Market clam chowder,” comes with an almost clear broth colored with juicy red tomatoes. Not to be outdone, Rhode Island has its own clam chowder, traditionally clear and “white.” Their version will often include other fish in the pot, something a New Englander would certainly scoff at.
Many restaurants around the country make claims to their own unique clam chowder recipes that often fall into more than one “type” of clam chowder. Some add corn and other veggies for texture, while others may add just a hint of tomato or Tabasco sauce into the creamy New England style. Whatever style you prefer, a bowl of steaming chowder, served alongside a heaping pile of oyster crackers, is sure to warm the soul of seafarers and landlubbers alike and satisfy even the heartiest of appetites.
