Cook time: 1 hour 25 mins | Prep time: 35 mins | Serves: 6

Ingredients.

• 1kg clams

• 200g white boneless fish, diced into 4cm pieces

• 5 eshallots, finely diced

• 100g unsalted butter

• 3 waxy potatoes, finely diced

• 12 garlic cloves, finely chopped 

• ½ fennel bulb, finely diced 

• 3 celery stalks, finely diced 

• 2 bay leaves

• 200g smoky bacon, finely diced into 0.5cm pieces 

• 3 tablespoons of flour (can use gluten-free flour) 

• 1 litre fish stock 

• 1 bunch of parsley, roughly chopped 

• 1 chilli

• 400ml white wine

• 300ml cream, lactose-free 

• Salt and pepper

• Micro herbs/dill/parsley to serve on top. 

  Garlic bread to serve.

• 6 Sourdough slices

• 1/2 bunch of flat parsley, finely chopped

• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped 

• 150g butter

  Method: Place ingredients in a bowl and place in the microwave to melt for 30-second intervals. Spread evenly on bread and place in the oven to crisp up. Serve with chowder.

Method.

1. Place clams into a bowl of cold water and add 2 tablespoons of salt. Let sit until needed. 

2. Chop up the bacon into small 0.5cm batons.

3. In a heavy-based pot add a little olive oil and cook the bacon until crispy. It will take approx. 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl with all the excess oil. 

4. Finely cut 3 eshallots, leek, fennel, celery, 5 garlic cloves and butter. Place into the same pot that the bacon was cooked in.

5. Place on medium heat and sweat down the finely chopped vegetables with salt and pepper for 10 minutes. 

6. Add in the flour and stir for 1 minute then add the fish stock and 200ml of white wine, bay leaves and stir. Simmer on low for 20 minutes stirring throughout. 

7. While the chowder is simmering slowly, place the clams into a saucepan with 200ml of white wine ½ bunch of roughly chopped parsley, 2 diced eshallots, 5 cloves of roughly chopped garlic, chilli and salt and pepper. Add 500ml water into the saucepan and simmer with the lid on for 10-15minutes. Until the clams have opened. 

8. Once clams have opened, use a slotted spoon and place clams into a bowl. Pick out the meat, set aside, and discard the shells.

9. Pour the excess liquid from cooking the clams through a sieve straight into the chowder pot and stir. Discard clam parsley/ veg mix. 

10. Place potatoes into the chowder pot and simmer for 10 minutes. 

11. Stir chowder and add in the cream, clam meat and white fish for 15 minutes. 

12. While the chowder is on a low simmer get the sourdough garlic bread toasties ready. Place on a baking tray with melted mixture and place into a 180C oven for 10 minutes until crispy. See below.

13. Potatoes should be cooked through and check for seasoning. It may need another 5-10minutes of simmer time. 

14. Serve with sourdough garlic toasties.

Garlic bread - Method:

1. Place ingredients in a bowl and place in the microwave to melt for 30-second intervals. Spread evenly on bread and place in the oven to crisp up. Serve with chowder.

Tips

• Lots of pepper when cooking the clams. If the chowder liquid is simmering down too much whilst cooking turn it off until you catch up. 

• Soaking clams in the water with salt drains the sand out of them. 

• Make sure all the veggies are finely chopped. You can pulse the veggies to save time though I would recommend finely chop to retain flavour and delicate texture. 

  
  Enjoy! Amanda x