James Beard once called Manhattan clam chowder “a vegetable soup that accidentally had some clams dumped into it.” Indeed many Manhattan chowders seem to be just that. Here we start with fresh littleneck clams in the shell and sea scallops and let them dominate in an herbed tomato and white wine broth.
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ¾ cup dry white wine or water
- 1 dozen littleneck clams, well scrubbed
- ¾ pound all-purpose potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
- 2 cups water
- 2 cans (14½ ounces each) no-salt-added stewed tomatoes, chopped with their juice
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt*
- ¾ pound sea scallops, halved horizontally
- In a Dutch oven or flameproof casserole, combine the onion, garlic, wine, and clams. Bring to a boil over moderate heat, cover, and cook, shaking the pan occasionally, for 5 to 10 minutes, or until all the clams have opened. Remove the skillet from the heat. (Discard any clams that do not open.) Remove the clams from the pan. When cool enough to handle, remove the clam meat from the shells, coarsely chop, and set aside. Discard the shells.
- Add the potatoes and water to the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until the potatoes are firm-tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes and their juice, the oregano, and salt, and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
- Add the scallops to the pan, cover, and cook for 2 minutes, or until they are almost cooked through. Return the clam meats to the pan and cook just until heated through, about 30 seconds.
Makes 4 servings; per serving: 260 calories, 1g total fat (0g saturated), 37mg cholesterol, 5g dietary fiber, 32g carbohydrate, 21g protein, 475mg sodium.
All clams should be rinsed—and preferably swirled about—in several changes of cold water to loosen the grit they accumulate. But some people like to take this a step further and purge the grit by soaking clams in salt water—usually a gallon of cold water to which 2 teaspoons of salt have been added. Let the clams sit in this solution in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 hours. The theory is that the live clams will filter new, clean water through their systems and at the same time expel any grit they may have had in them when they were harvested. You can also try using a cup of cornmeal instead of, or in addition to, the salt.
