Whenever we go to Monterey, one of my favorite things that I like doing is going to Fisherman’s Wharf, walking around, looking out to the ocean, and of course trying different clam chowder from restaurants there.

San Francisco also has a Fisherman’s Wharf, which is a popular tourist destination as well. I don’t remember trying any free samples there. I guess the difference between SF Fisherman’s Wharf and Monterey Fisherman’s Wharf is that the one in SF is full of small stores selling souvenirs, but the one in Monterey has a lot of restaurants there.

As the Husband mentioned in A Visit to Monterey, I am a connoisseur in term of tasting clam chowder. After trying seven or eight samples, I like the sample best from the first restaurant as soon as we walk into the Fisherman’s Wharf. Their clam chowder tastes just right—not too salty, full of clam flavor, creamy with a light butter taste. If I remember correctly, I think each time when we were there, I like the same clam chowder from the same restaurant.

I like this one best.

As I’m walking along, there are more restaurants offering free samples. When we passed a restaurant that we had lunch there once with friends, the guy offered clam chowder sample, saying that, “I put bacon in it, so it will have bacon flavor.” I was kind of surprised—putting bacon in clam chowder?!? This is the first time that I heard of this. I don’t like bacon at all, so his clam chowder didn’t appeal to me at all when I tried it.

Then another restaurant, I think their clam chowder is too salty. Pretty much the only thing I can taste from it is salt, nothing else, even not clam or potato.

Trying more clam chowder.

I guess this is the last restaurant that I tried the sample. Their clam chowder is not bad, but the chef put too much butter in it. It tastes kind of buttery, which I also don’t like. I bet if it is chicken or beef chowder instead of clam chowder, the Husband would like it because he likes meat and butter, anything to clog his arteries and create the necessity for quadruple bypass surgery.

This one is with too much butter.

After trying so many free samples, I told the Husband that I would like to make some. It is really simple to make and we have pretty all the ingredients at home. Instead of clam, I may have to use seafood mix. Haha……then I will have to call my chowder as mixed seafood chowder, but it’s worth a try.