GEORGE’S
RHODE ISLAND-STYLE
CLAM CHOWDER
(Recipe on page 107)
Chowder TIME
TRY A RHODE ISLAND-STYLE CLAM CHOWDER RECIPE FROM GEORGE’S OF GALILEE.
BUT FIRST, AN INTRODUCTION FROM THE OWNER, KEVIN DURFEE.
“When most people think of clam chowder, they think of New England clam chowder,
the thick kind. I will always prefer the real deal. Our clear broth chowder has a consistency of
chicken soup and my family was one of the first places to ever prepare chowder this way. (My
ancestor, Tom Durfee, came to Rhode Island in 1660, landed in Portsmouth, was issued a tavern
license by the town in 1663 and was said to have served that chowder in his tavern at some point.)
George’s was established in 1948 and has since made its name on its clam cakes and chowder
as well as other signature dishes like fish ‘n’ chips, lobster rolls, fried whole belly clams, stuffies
and more. Our chowder was so popular that it became its own category: Rhode Island Clam
Chowder. It’s been said that my grandfather coined the phrase ‘RI Chowder’ because he had
no name for it, but he knew that it wasn’t served anywhere else. We are proud to be part of the
history of quirky foods you can only find here in Rhode Island.
The reason why we prefer our clear broth chowder to the New England kind is that when
you start any soup, you start with the basic ingredients, the stock, the | | CONTINUED ON PAGE 106
FUN FACT
A quahog’s natural
habitat is just below
the sand, particularly
within mud flats,
where it burrows
itself using its
muscular foot. Clams
use this foot to travel
and, when adults,
remain in one place
with only their
siphons above the
sand to feed.
ALL FUN FACTS RESEARCHED BY ISABELLE PAQUETTE.
RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l AUGUST 2020 51