Fish House Clam Chowder

Submitted by Marie Burke

This is Bobby Flay's recipe. We were eating this at the Fish House in Key Largo and they gave us the recipe.

1/2 lb. bacon
1/2 bunch celery, chopped
1/2 Spanish Onion, chopped
1 (16 ounce can) diced potatoes(or I cook 2 large potatoes)2
6 - 1/2 oz cans of minced clams
1 - 35 ounce bottle clam juice (I can only find 8 oz. bottles, so I use four of them)
1 quart heavy cream

Chop bacon very finely, chop celery and onions. Brown bacon then add celery and onions. Cook until onions are clear. Add cooked potatoes and clam juice and bring to a boil until veggie's are tender.

Roux: 1/2 stick butter, melted over low heat
6 to 8 tablespoons flour and blend over low heat
1 quart milk, stir in slowly

Add heavy cream, clams, and stir in slowly. Cook and stir with wire whisk or wooden spoon until thickened and smooth. Salt and pepper to taste.

This soup wasn't at the Back to Basics meeting, but Sis. Burke thought we would enjoy it.