This chowder won cook offs in Seattle for years and is great just the way it is listed. If you want to make it a little less rich use milk instead of cream. I usually use more bacon and use a large can of clams in nectar which adds alot more of both but still works great. Its fun to serve each person in their own sour dough bread bowl if you have time .
This nourishing chowder is a wonderful soup, with or without the cream. There's a hint of the unfamiliar that makes you want to take another spoonful, and another. Crushing the fennel together with the thyme creates the intriguing flavor.
This chowder is standard fare at the Virginia governor's mansion. Originally developed by sous chef Thomas Sears, it survived more than a few administrations. Not heavy, as some chowders can be, it has just the right amount of creaminess to allow the flavor of the crab to blend with the corn.
When lobster is plentiful, my mother-in-law makes this without potatoes and increases the lobster to 3 cups or more. This is always eaten with homemade warm tea biscuits and saltine crackers, and yes the 1/4 cup of butter is correct.
