clam chowder - AIP-adapted, dairy-free, potato-free New England style

Good chowder starts at the fish counter, not the stove. Clams need to be bought the day you cook them, which is a small logistical ask this protocol keeps making of you: plan ahead, trust your fishmonger, do the extra step. The payoff is a pot that tastes like the coast, rebuilt entirely without wine, cream, or potato.

Clams are a concentrated source of B12, essential for nerve function and often running low in people managing an Autoimmune condition that affects the gut, along with iron in a form the body absorbs with little effort. Real minerals, in a bowl, on a night when an elaborate dinner is not realistic.

Watch each clam open in the steaming pot, one at a time, over several minutes, and you cannot help but notice how many small lives went into this dinner. Give it an honest moment of attention before the first spoonful, not a performance, just a nod on your way to the table.

Ingredients

• 1 quart water
• 25 littleneck clams (about 2 1/2 lbs), scrubbed clean
• 4 slices bacon (uncured, minimal ingredients - pork and salt)
• 1 large onion, diced (about 1 cup)
• 1 medium celery root (about 1 lb), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 cup full-fat coconut milk
• Sea salt to taste

*White wine omitted entirely - alcohol is not AIP-compliant. Additional clam broth provides the depth.*

Method

Steam the clams first to build your broth. Bring the quart of water to a boil in a large pot. Add the scrubbed clams, cover, and steam over medium-high heat for 5 to 8 minutes, checking every minute or two and removing each clam as it opens. Discard any that do not open after 10 minutes. Set the opened clams aside to cool.

Strain the steaming liquid through a fine-mesh strainer lined with a paper towel or cheesecloth into a bowl or measuring cup - this removes any grit. Reserve the broth. You should have about 2 to 3 cups. Once the clams are cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the shells and chop it roughly. Set aside.

Wipe out the pot and return it to medium heat. Add the bacon strips and cook until the fat renders and the bacon is just crisp. Remove the bacon and set it on a paper towel, then crumble or chop it once cooled. Leave the rendered fat in the pot.

Add the diced onion to the pot and cook in the bacon fat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, about 6 minutes. Add the diced celery root and stir to coat in the fat.

Pour in the reserved clam broth - start with 2 cups and add more if you want a thinner chowder. Add the bay leaf and dried thyme. Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook for 15 to 20 minutes until the celery root is completely tender.

Remove the bay leaf. Stir in the coconut milk and the chopped clam meat. Heat gently over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes until the clams are just warmed through - do not boil the chowder at this stage or the clams will become tough. Taste and adjust salt.

Serve in warm bowls with the crumbled bacon on top.

Instant Pot variation

Steam the clams on the stovetop as described above - this step is best done on the stovetop regardless, because you want to watch each clam as it opens. Reserve and strain the broth and set aside the chopped clam meat. Using the Saute function in the Instant Pot, render the bacon, remove it, then soften the onion in the bacon fat. Add the celery root, strained clam broth, bay leaf, and thyme. Lock the lid and cook on high pressure for 5 minutes, then quick release. Open the lid, remove the bay leaf, stir in the coconut milk and clam meat, and use the Saute function on low to warm through gently. Serve with the crumbled bacon on top.

*Adapted from gutsybynature.com*