Corn, Clam, and Mussel Chowder

Fresh vegetables, hearty seafood, and crumbled bacon make this quick-cooking soup a robust one-dish meal. A tomato and fennel salad completes the menu.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups)

Ingredients

• 2  bacon slices, chopped
• 1  cup  chopped onion
• 3/4  cup  chopped celery
• 3/4  teaspoon  chopped fresh thyme
• 2  cups  diced red potato
• 2  (8-ounce) bottles clam juice
• 2  cups  fresh corn kernels
• 20  mussels (about 1 pound), scrubbed and debearded
• 3/4  cup  half-and-half
• 1/2  cup  2% reduced-fat milk
• 3  tablespoons  all-purpose flour
• 2  (6 1/2-ounce) cans minced clams, liquid reserved
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• Thyme sprigs

Preparation

1. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add bacon to pan; cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Add onion, celery, and chopped thyme to pan; cook 8 minutes or until softened, stirring frequently. Add potato and bottled juice; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, covered, 9 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

2. Stir in corn and mussels; bring to a boil. Cover and cook 5 minutes or until mussels open; discard any unopened shells. Combine half-and-half, milk, and flour in a small bowl; stir with a whisk. Stir half-and-half mixture and clams into pan; cook 2 minutes or until slightly thickened. Stir in 2 tablespoons reserved clam liquid and salt. Garnish with thyme sprigs, if desired.

Tomato and fennel salad: Combine 4 cups torn romaine lettuce, 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes, and 1 cup sliced fennel bulb in a large bowl. Combine 1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 2 teaspoons honey, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper in a small bowl. Gradually add 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, stirring constantly with a whisk. Pour vinaigrette over lettuce mixture; toss well.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

233

Fat:

7.3g (sat 3.4g,mono 1.7g,poly 1.4g)

Protein:

14.3g

Carbohydrate:

29.6g

Fiber:

3g

Cholesterol:

37mg

Iron:

3.6mg

Sodium:

674mg

Calcium:

99mg