No prob guys, I've got plenty more tips and recipes, just ask.

Remeber, this recipe is not binding. You can use any seafood you like. Mix up your vegetables too. Cooking is about what you like. Hope I helped.

Chowder is so easy to make once you know the basics. I'm from eastern connecticut and just graduated with honors from culinary school so I do know a little bit about cooking and seafood chowder. Here's a recipe but fool around with it and make it your own if you like.

First, set to boil your potatoes. I would use a waxy potatoes, such as the red potatoes that are commonly used in potato salad. They will stay together better in the chowder and won't turn into mashed potatoes. I like to boil them in 3 parts water and 1 part clam juice, just for extra flavor. If you do use the clam juice, I would hold off on salting the water. Only boil the potatoes, don't cook them to the point that they are mashable or they will not stand up very well in the chowder. Drain the potatoes and set them aside.

Use three to four strips of bacon, depending on your taste, and cut into small pieces. If you don't wan't the extra cholesterol or salt, olive oil would be a good substitute, however watch your heat since olive oil has a low burning temperature. Turkey bacon is not because it lacks the fat neccassary to sautee the vegetables. Cook the bacon over medium heat until the fat has rendered and the bacon pieces are crisp. Remove bacon.

Add your desired amount of onions and celery to fat and cook until soft. Then add your desired amount of garlic and cook another two minutes or so. Be sure the garlic does not burn.

Now it gets kinda tricky. Add enough flour to coat the vegetables. I wouldn't use more than 1/4 of a cup of flour. Usually 1 or 2 tablespoons is enough. Cook vegetables with flour for another 2 minutes. This mixture is called a roux fyi.

After roux is cooked, add enough milk to the roux to have the consistency of heavy cream, always whisking constantly. Obviously, if you like thicker chowder, use less milk, and thinner, use more. If you like, you can also use clam juice with the milk, just watch your salt.

Now add your potatoes, your desired amount of clams and seasonings to taste. Traditionally, thyme and parsley are used, fresh or dried. Thyme is very strong so use it sparingly, especially if using dried thyme. Simmer for 20 minutes. After the simmering, taste for salt. The chowder cooks down throught the cooking process, and with the bacon and clam juice, it usually has enough salt, but alwasy wait until the soup is done to add more. Use the crunchy bacon bits as a garnish and enjoy.

*Tipt: Soups always taste better the day after so make it ahead of time to save yourself some stress.