Fire Island Clam Chowder

AKA digging for your dinner

This hearty but not heavy chowder is packed with clam flavor.

We just got back from our second annual visit to Fire Island. If you’ve been with me for a year, you may remember last year’s dispatch from Fire Island, Meryl’s Chicken Salad. Yup, we were visiting my friend Meryl again in her charming cottage in Fair Harbor. If you have never been to Fire Island, let me paint a picture for you. Fire Island is part of a long barrier island that runs along most of the south coast of Long Island. It isn't very wide, even at its widest point, and you can easily walk from the bay to the ocean, and most people do — multiple times in a day — depending on their swimming preferences. The thing that distinguishes Fire Island from most other beach communities is that there are no cars allowed.