Much like this dish, A Complete Unknown took me by surprise. I knew about Boston and NY style chowder. I didn’t know there was a RI version floating around. I also had no idea how much I would enjoy this movie. To be honest, I never really gave much credit to Bob Dylan. I always saw him as this mumbling caricature of a hippy musician. Of course, there are several of his more-popular songs featured in the film. But, there are some really stand-out stripped down performances of his earlier material. I might actually be a fan of Bob Dylan!
But, credit to Timothée Chalamet, too. He performed these songs really well and had some great duets with Monica Barbaro, who played the role of Joan Baez. Fun fact: she had to take voice lessons and learn how to play guitar for the movie. I also like Chalamet in this role much better than as a reluctant overlord in Dune. But, this movie partially revolves around the Newport Folk Festival. So, I decided to make this tasty clam chowder. Typically, Cherrystone clams are used in this chowder, and I used them in the pictured dish. But, it only helped confirm that I prefer littlenecks.
RI-style Clam Chowder
2 dozen littleneck clams
1 tbsp butter
¼ lb chunk of quality slab bacon (request from the deli counter), diced ½”
1 large yellow onion, peeled and diced fine
2 celery stalks, cut into ½” slices
8-10 small red-skinned potatoes, halved or quartered depending on size
½ cup dry white wine
Few sprigs of fresh thyme
Bay leaf
Parsley
Scrub the clams and place them in a large bowl of cold salted water and let them sit for about an hour.
Drain and rinse the clams. Then place them in a dutch oven with 5 cups of water.
Bring to a boil, over medium-high heat, then cover the pot and reduce the heat to medium. Cook for 15 minutes. If any clams haven’t opened after that time, discard them.
Remove the clams with tongs (using a slotted spoon to capture any clams that escaped in the water) and set in a bowl.
Strain the cooking liquid through a sieve fitted with cheesecloth or a coffee filter and reserve.
Wipe out the pot and return it to the stove, set over medium, adding the butter and diced bacon. Cook, until the bacon has browned and rendered its fat, about 10 mins. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and reserve.
Add the onions and celery to the pot, along with a pinch of salt. Add a little oil if there isn’t much fat left. Cook until softened, reducing the temperature to medium-low to avoid browning, about 10 minutes.
Stir in the potatoes and wine and continue to cook until almost all of the wine has been absorbed.
Add 4 cups of the clam broth, along with the thyme and bay leaf.
Continue to cook, partially covered, until the potatoes are tender, about 10-15 minutes.
Meanwhile, mince the clam meat into rough 1/4#” pieces.
Once the potatoes are tender, add in the reserved bacon and clams and season with some freshly cracked black pepper.
Cover the pot, turn off the heat, and let it sit for a few minutes.
Meanwhile, mince some fresh parsley.
After a few minutes, add in the parsley and serve immediately. ______________________________ Copyright 2025, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.
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