My Curried Arctic Surf Clam Chowder, with green curry leaves, leek and coconut milk, delivers the perfect serving of flavourful fall comfort.
This post for Curried Arctic Surf Clam Chowder was created in partnership with Clearwater Seafoods LP.
Cool, damp, dark days call for hearty bowls of warm comfort. There is nothing quite like a steaming pot of soup to warm a frigid winter soul.
Take your standard clam chowder, replace the cream with coconut milk, the celery with leeks, add fresh curry leaves to amp up the flavour and seal the deal with sweet, succulent Arctic Surf Clams!
No Can Do
Clam Chowder was not really a part of my childhood. The closest thing I could think of is seafood stew/soup, often made with fish head and without dairy. The first time I made it on my own, the scotch bonnet peppers burst and all hell broke loose. It was the type of inedible spicy that was destined for only one place... the trash. But, I digress.
The first time I had clam chowder was back in school, when a roommate busted open a can and heated it up for dinner. So disgusted, I was tempted to revoke her friend status. Instead, I ordered in.
Curry Leaves
I've only made clam chowder a couple of times before this batch. Mainly because I am not super crazy about cream/milk based soups - the dairy always seems to mask the flavours. I cook with curry leaves a lot and love the smoky, mild citrus flavour it imparts. I thought it would work well here with coconut milk in place of cream.
Curry powder is a blend of spices like tumeric, fenugreek, coriander, cumin, mustard and red chili, while curry leaves are a herb. The shiny green leaves are sold fresh, in large bunches, at Indian and Caribbean markets. It's widely used in East Indian cooking, but also popular in West Indian (Caribbean) cuisine.
In addition to adding loads of flavour, they are said to have a long list of health benefits. I love steeping a handful in hot water for a warming, comforting cup of tea.
Arctic Surf Clams
The star of this Curried Arctic Surf Clam Chowder really is the Premium Wild Clam Blend from Clearwater Seafoods. They are chopped and ready to use, complete with their own clam juice, making this meal perfect for a quick midweek meal.
They are the chopped, canned version of the whole arctic surf clams I used in this post. The pieces are mixed with cockle clams and aren't as prominent in colour in their chopped state, but still deliver in the taste and texture department.
Top with a few pieces of oven-baked, crispy smoked bacon for a little crunch and a few pops of green and it's time to start shovelling warm, yummy comfort by the spoonful! I also topped mine with a pinch of smoked sea salt flakes and peppercorn for good measure. YUMMM!
Ingredients
- 4 slices smoked bacon chopped
- 60 grams butter
- 2 onions chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- fresh thyme
- 2 large carrots sliced
- 3 stalks leek sliced thinly
- 5 large potatoes cubed
- parsley
- bay leaves
- curry leaves
- 1 can Clearwater Chopped Arctic Surf and White Cockle Clams
- clam juice from the canned clams
- 250 millilitres coconut milk/cream
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the bacon in a large heated pot with the butter. Add all the ingredients up to the curry leaves and sauté.
- Add the clams and cook for a minute or two, then add the clam juice. Stir to combine and bring to a boil.
- Add the coconut milk and bring to a boil. Then turn the the heat down and simmer for an hour.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve while hot. Garnish with crisp bacon and parsley and enjoy with toasted bread.
2pots2cook says
Pure excellence ! Thank you so very much !
jacquee | i sugar coat it! says
Thank YOU! xx