This Floridian favorite — allegedly introduced by the Spanish who came over from the island of Minorca — is tomato-based and usuall y the hottest of all chowders. It contains several types of peppers, including habanero and, critically, datil chiles (hard to find anywhere except St. Augustine Florida). The Spanish were the first well-documented Europeans to settle the North American shores, there is no reason not to think that this was the first European clam chowder in the Americas. 1/8 pound/57g salt pork or smoked bacon chopped fine 2 large onions chopped 1 bell pepper chopped 2 cups/480g fresh clams, chopped fine, juice reserved 1-2 datil peppers, minced 3 cups/540g canned plum tomatoes drained, seeded, and chopped 1/2 cup/125ml tomato puree 1/2 tablespoon thyme, crumbled 1/2 tablespoon salt 1/4 teaspoon cayenne 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1-2 bay leaves crushed 2- 8 ounce bottles clam juice 3 cups/710ml fish stock 2 cups/306g new potatoes, diced Saute pork in
Personal Chefs serving Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale and Miami Beach.