Thai musSel chowder
Recipe makes for a
soul-warming meal
BY DAVID CAMPICHE
I’ve been preparing chowders for over 50
years. No two are quite the same.
I collect recipes but generally don’t fol-
low them to the tee. One can adjust the rec-
ipe or substitute ingredients anytime.
Recently, I stumbled across a sack of
Penn Cove mussels at Costco. I could hardly
wait to get home to cook them.
Years ago, my wife Laurie Anderson and
I cooked mussels for James Beard. He was
quite a fan of these clams. I collected the
bivalves on the fishing rocks below North
Head Lighthouse. We steamed them open
with white wine, butter and herbs.
We baked them in their shells after grind-
ing the meat into a kind of forcemeat. We
added grated Manchego cheese, herbs and
breadcrumbs. We later tossed some of the
mussels with pasta and crème fraiche. This
was an extended mussel dinner. The results
were sublime.
I used the Penn Cove mussels to cre-
ate chowder. We have a family member
who must steer clear of lactose. I substi-
tuted coconut milk for cream and olive oil
for butter.
The nectar that sweats from the clams and
wine is the base of this delicious chowder.
Ingredients:
• 3 to 4 pounds of fresh mussels, steamed
open
• ½ large onion, diced into ¼-inch portions
• Four stalks of celery, diced into ⅛-inch
portions
• One large red or yellow pepper, diced into
¼-inch portions
• 2 cups white wine
• 3 kefir leaves (discard before serving)
• 1 tablespoon of curry paste (Mae Ploy Yel-
low Curry Paste is a good option)
• 1 tablespoon miso
• 1 tablespoon of finely minced ginger
• Three medium potatoes, par-boiled and
diced
The nectar that sweats from the clams and wine is the base for the Thai mussel chowder.
• Three sprigs of fresh fennel, finely diced
• Three sprigs of fresh rosemary
• All the stock from the steamed clams
Preparation:
precious nectar.
• Two 11-ounce cans of coconut milk
Steam open the mussels with the white
Sauté celery, onions and minced ginger
• 6 tablespoons of rice flour (roux)
wine, rosemary sprigs with either butter or
together. When translucent, add chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
olive oil in a pan with a lid. Marry in the
peppers. Slowly cook for a couple more
• Optional: Tabasco juice or cayenne to taste. curry and miso paste. After the shells open,
minutes. Meld in the flour to make a roux.
I prefer a bit of heat to balance out the
cool. Later, remove the clams from the
Thin with the stock (mussel nectar) and
sweetness of the coconut milk.
shells. Do not throw out even a drop of the
stir for a couple more minutes. Toss in the
10 // COASTWEEKEND.COM
David Campiche
cooked potatoes and the steamed clams. Add
the coconut milk, kefir leaves and fennel.
Salt to your liking.
Champagne or pinot grigio are perfect
accompaniments.
Help yourself and be inventive. Remem-
ber, the world is your clamshell.