Clam chowder

Many dishes in Canadian cooking, including this one, can be traced back to France or are very much inspired by French cuisine. Clam chowder is a very smooth, creamy clam soup that has become very popular all over the world. If you like, you can substitute white wine for some of the stock.

Serves 4

500 g (1 lb 2 oz) floury potatoes

500 g (1 lb 2 oz) mussels or clams

2 cups (500 ml) fish stock

2 corn cobs

2 French shallots

1 bunch flat-leaf parsley

2 tbsp butter

4 tbsp plain flour

2 cups (500 ml) cream

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Peel and finely dice the potatoes. Wash the mussels or clams very thoroughly. Pour the fish stock into a saucepan. Add the potatoes, bring to a simmer and cook until almost done.

Wash the corn cobs and cut off the kernels with a sharp knife. Add the corn kernels to the stock. Cook until the potatoes are tender, then remove from the heat.

Peel and finely dice the shallots. Rinse the parsley, shake off excess water and finely chop the leaves. Sweat the shallots with the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and sweat for 1 minute, stirring. Deglaze the roux with the cream and bring to the boil.

Finally, add the fish stock mixture, along with the mussels or clams and parsley and cook until the shells open (discard any that don’t open). Continue to simmer for another 2 minutes, season with salt and pepper and divide among four bowls.