Clam Bake " Stoup

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3/4 lb kielbasa, diced
• 4 cups half a 32-ounce bag frozen diced hash browns
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 celery ribs, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 5-6 sprigs fresh thyme
• salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 2 lbs large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 tablespoon seafood seasoning (recommended ( Old Bay)
• 4 large ears corn on the cob

• 1 (15 ounce) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
• 1 quart chicken stock
• 4 dozen littleneck clams
• hot sauce, to taste
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• handful fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 4 jumbo sourdough English muffins, split
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 garlic clove, peeled

Directions

1. 1

   Heat a large soup pot with extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the kielbasa and brown for 2 minutes; add the potatoes, onions, celery, bay, thyme, and salt and pepper and let the veggies soften up 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. 2

   Pat shrimp dry and toss with a rounded tablespoon (a generous palmful) of seafood seasoning.

3. 3

   Invert a small bowl and place at the bottom of a larger bowl. Shuck corn and stand on end on the small bowl. Scrape off kernels. Add corn to soup pot.

4. 4

   Add the tomatoes and stock to the pot. Cover and bring to a boil. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the shrimp and clams and replace the cover. Cook until shrimp are pink and firm and the clams have opened up, 5 to 6 minutes. Finish stoup with hot sauce, lemon zest and juice and a handful of parsley.

5. 5

   While the seafood cooks, toast the English muffins. Soften the butter in the microwave. Mash the garlic cloves with a little salt and make a paste. Add the chives and garlic paste to the softened butter and mix. Rub hot toasted muffins with garlic/butter mixture and chop into large dice.

6. 6

   Serve stoup in shallow bowls with muffin croutons. Place an extra bowl at each setting to collect shells as you eat your Clam Bake Stoup.