Spring Hill Ranch California-Style Clam Chowder

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♼ Recipe origin is unknown. Spring hill ranch california style clam chowder recipe, recipe Rating: 4.9
Number of votes:120

We get gold stars for this every time we serve it! Remember that we are located far, far from any source of fresh seafood, so most of ours is from a can. If you don’t really appreciate canned clams, well, wait ’til you try ’em this way! It’s a thick, savory, rich chowder with just a hint of tomato and lots of clams and potato chunks.

Ready in: 35 mins

Ingredients

Serves: 8

• 6 slices thick-cut bacon, small diced (easiest to dice when partially frozen)
• 1 large white (or yellow) onion, diced
• 6 medium potatoes, 1/2 to 3/4-inch diced
• 1 1/2 cups (3 8-ounce bottles) clam juice
• 1/2 bunch fresh parsley, chopped (or dried parsley flakes)
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon coarse ground pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 (24 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
• 2 New Mexico #6 or Big Jim green chiles (or 1 4-ounce can of diced green chiles)
• 1 (10 ounce) can whole baby clams, drained
• 4 (6 1/2 ounce) cans minced clams, drained
• 2 cups half and half

Preparation method

Prep: 20 mins | Cook: 15 mins

1. In a large skillet over medium high heat, cook the minced bacon until the bits are crisp. Remove them from the pan with a slotted spoon and allow them to drain on a paper towel. Do not drain the oil from the pan yet.

2. In the bacon drippings, sauté the onion until wilted and translucent. Using a slotted spoon, remove them from the pan to drain on a paper towel, too. Set aside. Now you may drain the fat from the pan, wash it an put it away.

3. Meanwhile, put the potatoes and clam juice in a 5 quart pot. Add enough water to just cover them. Bring the pot to a boil and continue at a low boil until the potatoes are tender (about 10 minutes). At this point, remove about a quarter of the potato chunks and blend the remaining soup with an immersion blender, in a blender or food processor. Then return the reserved potato pieces.

4. Stir in the reserved bacon bits and onion, the parsley, thyme, basil, black pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic, and salt. Drain the liquid from the stewed tomatoes into the pot, then chop up the tomatoes prior to adding them to the pot. Add the green chiles. Return the soup to a boil and add the clams and the half & half. Simmer until the clams are warmed through.Tip

The chowder will become thicker and richer if allowed to cool down and then reheated just before serving.

Tip

In step 3, add just enough water to cover the potatoes prior to starting to boil them. You can always add a little more water to the finished chowder if it is a tad too thick.