In our opinion chowder is the perfect autumn meal, it’s warming, hearty and creamy and the variations are pretty endless. And it turns out that we’re not the only big fans of the dish. Elizabeth Peeples and Stefanie Bassett, founders of Little Ram Oysters, took to Instagram to tease their recipe for Little Ram Oyster and Corn Chowder and we just knew we had to share it with you.
What they said:
“This is one of our favorite recipes when the long Summer days start turning into the crisp, clear Fall days. It celebrates the end of summer corn and introduces the hearty root veggies back into the mix. And of course, everything tastes better with bacon! Stef has been making a corn chowder recipe with bacon and chipotle for years — we thought, why not try something similar with oysters?!”
Fresh oyster liquor — the liquid you can preserve when you are shucking — is a key ingredient. Pick up your supplies at Little Ram Oysters farm stand, 12710 Soundview Ave. (on Horton’s Lane at Soundview) or at any of the local oyster stands around the North Fork. (Call ahead to check seasonal hours.)
Ingredients
4 slices of bacon
½ large yellow onion, or one small onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
3-4 small new potatoes with skins on, diced into ¼-inch cubes
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup Little Ram Oyster liquor (preserved when shucking oysters)
1 ½ cups heavy cream
½ cup whole milk
½ tsp kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 ears of corn, cut off the cob
25 shucked Little Ram Oysters, cut into pieces
A couple sprigs of fresh dill fronds, chopped
Instructions
Cook the bacon slices in a large pot over medium heat until crispy. Remove the bacon and reserve fat in the pan and keep on the heat. Add onion, carrot, potato and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently until onion is translucent. Pour in oyster liquor and bring to a boil for 1 minute.
Turn down the liquid to a simmer, stir in cream and whole milk. Let simmer until the potatoes are tender (do not boil.) Once the potatoes are tender, add the corn and Little Ram Oysters. Cook until the oysters are just firm, only 1 minute or so. Add salt to taste along with a generous pinch of black pepper.
Break the cooled, crispy bacon into small pieces and stir into chowder along with fresh dill.
