Pacific Razor Clam Chowder

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 slices bacon, cut into small dice
• 1 large leek, dark-green parts cut off and saved for stock, leek halved lengthwise, cleaned, and cut into small dice
• 2 celery ribs, cut into small dice, with 1/4 cup picked tender leaves reserved for garnish
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, roughly chopped
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, unpeeled, cut into medium dice
• 1/4 cup dry white vermouth
• One bottle clam juice
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 3/4 pound cleaned razor clam meat, cut into small dice
• 2 teaspoons fish sauce, optional
• Kosher salt
• Tabasco sauce or other hot sauce of your choice, for serving
• Buttery crackers, broken up, for garnish

Directions

1. Set a Dutch oven over medium heat and add the butter and bacon. Cook, giving it an occasional stir, until the bacon is starting to crisp and take on color, 7 to 10 minutes. Scoop out half of the bacon with a slotted spoon and set it on a paper towel-lined plate for the finish.
2. Stir the leek into the bacon left in the pot and cook until it has softened, about 3 minutes. Mix in the celery, bay leaves, thyme, and cayenne, and let them cook for 1 minute. Add the potatoes, raise the heat to medium-high, and cook for 3 minutes, stirring now and then.
3. Pour in the vermouth and let it bubble, using your spoon to loosen the browned bits on the bottom. Add the clam juice, then add only enough water to come up over the potatoes, about 8 ounces/240ml. Bring the pot to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, and cook until the potatoes are tender. Stir in the cream, bring the chowder back to a simmer, and let it simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Bring the chowder up to a boil, then shut off the heat. Stir in the razor clam meat, cover the pot, and leave it undisturbed for 1 minute; that gentle heat will poach the clams without making them rubbery. Stir in the fish sauce, if you’re using it, and season with salt.
5. Spoon the chowder into bowls, then finish each one with the reserved bacon and celery leaves. Serve with hot sauce and crumbled crackers so everyone can add them at the table.