Sure, chowder isn’t the first thing you think of to serve in the summer. But it’s peak corn season and this dish will give you something to look forward to when the temperatures start to drop. The clams do a lot of the hard work by providing a light briny broth that gets velvety body from puréed corn.
4 SERVINGS
5 Tbsp. vegetable oil, divided
4 oz. fresh chorizo, preferably Mexican, casings removed
1 tsp. hot smoked Spanish paprika or smoked paprika
1 medium onion, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
24 littleneck clams (about 2 lb.), scrubbed
4+ ears of corn, kernels removed (to yield about 4 cups)
1–2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
Kosher salt
Cilantro leaves with tender stems (for serving)
Heat 3 Tbsp. oil in a large pot over medium-high. Add chorizo and cook, breaking up into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon and stirring every minute or so, until browned and crisp, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle in paprika and stir to combine, then scrape chorizo and oil into a small bowl. Wipe out pot.
Pour remaining 2 Tbsp. oil into same pot and set over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring often and adding a splash of water if starting to brown, until softened but not browned, 10–12 minutes. Add clams and toss to combine. Cover pot and cook until clams open, 5–7 minutes. Uncover and transfer opened clams to a medium bowl, leaving liquid behind. If any clams are still closed, cover pot again and cook remaining clams until opened, about 4 minutes more. Transfer open clams to bowl; discard any that have not opened at this point. Tent bowl with foil.
Pour 3 cups water into pot and bring to a simmer. Add corn kernels and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Remove pot from heat and purée one third of chowder in a blender until very smooth. Return purée to pot and mix well. (Or use an immersion blender if you have one and blenddirectly in the pot until you’ve blended about one third and chowder is partly thickened.) Stir in lime juice; taste and season with salt if needed.
Divide chowder among shallow bowls and add clams. Spoon chorizo and oil over and scatter some cilantro on top.