#clam-chowder

#clam-chowder

To figure out who's offering the best fried fish in every state that keeps people coming back, we scoured countless reviews, recommendations, and customer feedback. These were taken from across Reddit, Facebook, and review sites, including Tripadvisor, Yelp, and Google.

The cake utilizes a technique called reverse creaming to make the crumb exceptionally tender. Usually it's done with a stand mixer, but in this recipe, you use your hands-kind of like you would making pie crust.

East Coast oysters are known and loved over the world for the clean minerality and distinctive salinity, which is reflective of the cold Atlantic waters where they come from. Although Maine and Maryland get a lot of credit, oysters are present along the continent's entire eastern coast, as far north as Canada's Prince Edward Island all the way down to South Florida.

Nearly 40 miles of untamed coastline are protected in Redwood National and State Parks in Northern California. This means that besides viewing the massive, jaw-dropping trees, visitors can also meander the Pacific Ocean's edge, marvel at cliffs and perhaps even spot a gray whale. Of course, the sea's bounty also provides a delicious meal at the end of a drive or a hike.

A small splash can brighten the sweetness of corn and add a subtle herbal lift. It should enhance - not dominate. Think of it as a squeeze of lime, ever so popular in Mexican food, in spirit form.

Generally, East Coast oysters are brinier than West Coast oysters. Eastern oysters, raised either in the Atlantic Ocean or in its estuaries, live in a much saltier environment. West Coast oysters are mostly raised in protected bays, estuaries, and tidal rivers, where there is much less salt.

Larger is definitely better when picking a precooked bird, so look for one that feels heavy for its size. If it's plump, it's going to be moist. The skin should be evenly browned, with taut skin. If it's shriveled, that means it's been overcooked and lost moisture.

In New England, the official dipping buddy for creamy clam chowder is called a common cracker, and it's different than any other cracker in almost every possible way. For starters, it's larger (about the size of a Ritz cracker), rougher, and looks unmistakably old-school. The common cracker's flavor is also deliberately restrained. Wheaty, crunchy, and very hearty - these unleavened crackers swell slightly in creamy New England clam chowder. This makes them take on a dumpling-like quality, and it's not accidental.

Campbell's has been producing chunky soups since 1970, with the Old Bay Seasoning collaboration hitting shelves in 2022. There are so many ways to use Old Bay seasoning, so it's a pairing that makes sense, but our tester felt like the execution just wasn't there. Despite Campbell's promising "generous pieces of hearty clams," the soup was mostly made up of potatoes, which is not what you want from a good New England clam chowder.

While many football fans are preparing to watch the upcoming Super Bowl, the team at Tasting Table is thinking about a different kind of bowl: a warm, cozy, soup-filled bowl, and the kind brimming with fresh clams, potatoes, and a creamy base, known fondly as clam chowder. There are plenty of clam chowder types to choose from. These include San Francisco clam chowder - a nod to the city hosting Super Bowl 2026 - and New England clam chowder, the well-known chowder powerhouse.

But when you pull off that tail section, you will reveal inside the cavity something that stands out against all of the pink and white flesh - a strange green paste. For many bib-clad lobster eaters, this green stuff ends up in the bin along with the scraps of cracked and empty shells, but they don't know what they are missing. That green paste is called tomalley, and despite its potentially off-putting appearance, it's a part of the lobster experience begging to be savored.

Stuffed clams are that perfect mixture of homey flavors - like garlic, butter, and breadcrumbs - and elevated seafood. But making the perfect stuffed clams isn't as easy as stuffing whatever clams you have. There are more than 10 different types of clams, and you must choose the clam with the right type of shell for your stuffing needs. Luckily, Tasting Table caught up with Franklin Becker, the chef/owner of Manhattan seafood restaurant Point Seven, who shelled out some pretty top-notch advice.

Nothing screams summer in New England more than a fresh, buttery lobster roll. Whether you like yours served cold and loaded with creamy filling or you prefer a bun stacked with warm, naked claws, lobster rolls are a staple part of the Northeastern diet - and they're often enjoyed in other parts of the country too. If you're a fan, then there's another seafood sandwich you should try, especially if lobsters aren't commonly found in your area: Scallop rolls.

Proper homemade mac and cheese, with tender noodles swimming in a creamy, cheesy sauce, is already about as good as it gets. The culinarians of the internet, however, have a simple one-ingredient change that will take your next round of baked mac and cheese to the next level: lobster base. This product, like Better Than Bouillon's Premium Lobster Base, is essentially lobster concentrate, used to whip up a quick lobster stock for things like lobster bisque.

It was joined by South African fish paste brand Redro, which emerged in the 1930s. Peck's anchovy-based paste originally became famous for its shelf stability and the fact that it would elevate a simple piece of buttered toast with its salty flavor. It has the consistency of a pâté and is packed with umami flavor. Folks still missing this condiment can purchase Peck's Anchovette on Amazon or try their hand at a copycat recipe.

PITTSBURGH - Still suffering from a post-holiday drag? After the fun of Christmas and New Year's, it's completely understandable if you're having a hard time snapping back into a routine. The fact that it's still getting light too late and dark too early - we won't set our clocks forward for spring until March 8 - only adds to the funk that is a Western Pennsylvania winter, marked by gray skies, a freezing mix of snow and rain and slushy sidewalks.

When a friend mentioned that she serves chili over noodles, I was intrigued. We always serve our chili straight up with cornbread or tortilla chips on the side, but I had to try this new way, and the results were what inspired this chili mac from my cookbook "Mostly Veggies." Is it chili? Is it mac and cheese? It's the best of both worlds, and it's surprisingly healthy and packed with veggies!

Welcome to Bon Appétit Bake Club, a community of curious bakers. Each month senior test kitchen editors Jesse Szewczyk and Shilpa Uskokovic share a must-make recipe and dive deep on why it works. Come bake and learn with us-ask questions, share pics, listen to our podcast, and lots more here. And don't forget to join the Bake Club Group chat over on Substack.

The new year is already off to a great start when it comes to restaurant openings and fresh updates in Greater Boston's dining scene. In the months ahead, we have major restaurant openings from Michelin chefs and famous New York restaurateurs, as well as a swell of diverse and delicious smaller restaurants joining our neighborhoods. Each week, Boston.com will highlight the restaurant openings worth knowing about across the region.

If you aren't familiar, a ham hock is a cut of pork that comes from the pig's leg, where the shank meets the foot. It's not a very meaty cut, but that's not the point. Ham hocks are heavy on skin, bone, and fatty connective tissue, which are all rich in collagen, which is basically an all-purpose soup enhancer. It affects both texture and the taste of soups, thickening them and adding body,