Maritime
Clam Chowder
A Moncton kitchen staple
IODE Fort Monckton Cook Book, Moncton NB, 1941A rich, milk-based chowder from the 1941 IODE Fort Monckton cookbook — the kind that appeared on Moncton tables when the tide was right and clams were plentiful. Simple, warming, and deeply coastal.
Source: IODE Fort Monckton Cook Book, Moncton NB, 1941
Ingredients
- 1 pint fresh clams, shucked (or 2 cans clams)
- 2 cups diced potatoes
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 slices salt pork, diced
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup light cream
- 1 tbsp butter
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Pinch of thyme
Instructions
- Fry the salt pork in a heavy pot until the fat is rendered and the pieces are golden. Remove pork and set aside.
- Cook the onion in the rendered fat over medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes.
- Add potatoes and just enough water to cover. Cook until potatoes are just tender, about 12 minutes.
- Add clams with their liquor and simmer 5 minutes — do not boil or the clams will toughen.
- Stir in milk and cream. Heat gently until steaming; do not let it boil.
- Add butter, season with salt, pepper, and thyme. Top with the reserved salt pork bits.
- Serve with crackers or fresh bread.
✦ Kitchen Notes
- From the IODE Fort Monckton Cook Book, compiled by Moncton women in 1941 during the war years.
- For a thicker chowder, mash a few of the potato pieces against the side of the pot before adding the milk.