New England Clam Chowder in the Slow Cooker

I feel very lucky that we live pretty close to the coast. If we hopped in the car, we'd see the ocean within 15 minutes --- that's pretty cool.

I'm kind of embarrassed that we don't take advantage of this as often as we should. 

My kids love the beach. Adam loves the beach. I love the beach. 

Yet most of our weekends are filled with boring stuff like Costco runs, random sporting events, assorted kid birthday parties, and Drop Dead Diva marathons on Netflix (oh Drop Dead Diva, how did I only just now discover how completely awesome you are?).

So I brought the beach to us. No mess, no sandy feet, and no bird poop.

(and it totally rained this entire weekend anyway.)

The Ingredients.

serves 6

there's no half-and-half in this picture. I didn't buy it yet!

1/2 pound bacon, cooked and diced

1 (6.5-ounce) can minced clams, drained

5 small red potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

1 onion, peeled and diced

1 cup sliced celery

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 teaspoons dried thyme

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

4 cups chicken broth

2 cups half-and-half (or you could use heavy cream)

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (to add later)

optional: bread bowls for serving. If you're gluten free, I've made them myself by using boxed bread mix, then plopping 4 round dough blobs on a piece of parchment paper--they bake right up, and are perfect!

The Directions.

Use a 4-quart slow cooker. Brown the bacon on the stovetop, and drain the accumulated grease (I saved bacon from breakfast-- about 6 4 slices (I accidentally ate a few...)

Put the bacon into your crockpot, and add clams. Add all the vegetables and spices and pour in the broth. Cover, and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, or until the onion is translucent and the potatoes squish easily with a fork.

Use a hand-held stick blender and pulse a few times to naturally thicken the soup. Stir in half and half and shredded cheese. Ladle into wide-mouthed bowls or bread bowls.

The Verdict.

This is an awesome chowder. The canned clams really do a great job of flavoring the broth and the soup, and are terribly inexpensive, and will keep in the pantry for a long time. They're a great canned item to keep on hand. My kids lapped up their servings and played with their new art supplies. 

While I cried. Because of Drop Dead Diva.

other stuff you might like:

fish chowder

canned soup in the Little Dipper

Crab and Corn Soup

Kiwi Crate Art Box Review

Read More

Crab and Corn Soup CrockPot Recipe

 

Amie promises me that it's cooling off even in Arizona, and it's officially Soup Season.

I'm so glad.

The Ingredients.

serves 6

1 quart chicken broth (4 cups!)

1 tablespoon butter

1 cup finely chopped onion, or 1 tablespoon dried minced onion flakes

1 (32-ounce) package of frozen corn

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 (6-ounce) can lump crabmeat, drained and picked through (don't use Krab. it's not gluten free, and it's weird)

1 cup half and half or heavy cream (to add later)

1 avocado, sliced (to add later)

The Directions.

Use a 4-quart slow cooker. Pour the broth into your crockpot, and add butter and onion. Stir in frozen corn, garlic, butter, cayenne, and the crabmeat (make sure you pick through canned crab---shells often occur!) Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, high for 4 hours, or until the onion is cooked through and translucent. If you'd like a thicker broth, pulse a few times with an immersible blender, or scoop out a cup or so and blend in a traditional stand blender, then stir it back in (carefully!).

Add half and half or cream. Stir well, and ladle into bowls or bread bowls, and garnish with avocado slices.

The Verdict.

I had a soup just like this on the boardwalk in Monterey, CA, and this really brought me back to that occasion. It's rich and hearty without being too heavy, and the crab flavor is subtle and beautiful. I LOVE the velvety feel the half and half provides---I'm sure you could get away with using a lower fat variety of milk, but it just won't be the same.

seafood schtoup schtuff:

lobster bisque  (this was the Christmas Day recipe in 2008!)

cioppino

fish chowder

barbecued shrimp (not soup. just amazingly good)

Read More

CrockPot Lobster Bisque

Day 360.

Merry Christmas! If you are finding your way to the computer today, I figure you should get something good.

So you're getting lobster.

in the crockpot.

Life is so very good.

The Ingredients. 3 cups chicken broth
8 oz clam juice
14.5 oz stewed tomatoes (and juice)
8 oz sliced mushrooms
1 onion, diced
1 large leek, diced (just the white part!)
1 T dried parsley
2 tsp Old Bay seasoning mix
1 tsp dill
1 cup heavy cream (to add later)
2 lobster tails (to add later)
lemon slices as garnish, and to squeeze in at the end

The Directions.

Use a 5 quart or larger crockpot, and combine the broth, clam juice, tomatoes, onion, mushrooms, leek, parsley, Old Bay, dill, and parsley. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, high for 4-5, or until onions are translucent and flavors have melded.

Use an immersible blender to blend into a chowdery broth. Add lobster tails. Cover and cook on high for 30-45 minutes, or until lobster tails have turned pink and the meat is fork tender. Remove lobster tails from crockpot. Stir in heavy cream.

Ladle into dishes, and serve with lemon slices and lobster meat. You can take the meat out of the tail, and mix it in the soup, or leave it intact and pick at it at the table.

The Verdict.

We liked this an awful lot. I'd say it makes enough to feed 4 adults, especially if you distribute the meat from the lobster tails into the soup. We had a lot of fun eating this, and felt quite fancy. My kids both liked the lobster, and thought the soup part was "yummy." But they also thought sucking on the lemon slices was the best part of their dinner.

Read More

Cedar Planked Salmon Cooked in the CrockPot

Day 338.

I bought a cedar board a while ago, and planned on using it in the summer, but never got around to it. This is a fun way to cook fish in the crockpot---it's different, and the cedar provides a hint of smokey and woodsy flavor to the fish. My kids love fish, and each ate a bunch, which thrilled me so much we got frozen yogurt for dessert.

The Ingredients.

--1 singe-use cedar plank, cut to size
--1 lb salmon
--2 limes
--1 tsp cumin
--1 tsp salt
--1 tsp garlic powder
--1 tsp rosemary
--1 tsp onion powder
--1 T honey

The Directions.

Have your amazing husband (or other handy-type person not scared of saws) cut the cedar plank to size. He cut the board to fit the 6 quart crockpot, but it fit in the 4 quart, too.

Soak the plank in water for at least an hour.

While it is soaking, combine the dry spices in a bowl. Rub the salmon on all sides with the spice rub, and then drizzle on the honey. Top with slices from 2 limes, and slide it all into a plastic storage bag. Refrigerate while the board is soaking---at least one hour, but overnight in the refrigerator is fine.

When the time has passed, put the wet cedar plank into the bottom of your crockpot. Put the salmon (with the lime slices) directly on the board.

If you are using a great-big-huge crockpot, put a sheet of foil over the salmon and scrunch it down to create a smaller area for the steam and heat.

Cover and cook on low for 2 hours. Check the salmon---it should flake easily with a fork. If it doesn't, cook on low for an additional 30 minutes and check again.

The Verdict.

Moist, delicious fish. I've cooked fish in the crock numerous times now, and each and every time I'm blown away at how easy it is and how the fish remains moist and flaky---without a hint of fish smell in the house.

The cedar plank was fun, and it certainly is dramatic to serve the fish that way, but if you don't have one, the fish will be just as good wrapped in a foil packet.

other crockpot fish recipes:
foil packet tilapia
fillet of sole with pesto
salmon with a sweet and spicy rub
lemon and dill salmon with spinach

Read More