Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a 5-6 quart stock pot and add clams. Steam for about 5 to 10 minutes. Stir clams once or twice to steam evenly. Remove from heat as soon as the shells open. Remove the clams and strain the broth through a fine mesh strainer. Set the broth aside and reserve. You should get about 2 ½ - 3 cups clam broth. Add additional water to measure 3 cups of broth total.

Let the clams cool for a few minutes and then remove the clam meats from their shells. Set aside. You should get about 1 ½ cups clam meats.

If using canned clams, simply strain the clams from the juice and reserve the juice. You’ll get about 1/2 cup per can. You’ll need to purchase some additional bottled clam juice to measure 3 total cups of clam broth.

Melt butter over medium heat in a 5-6 quart stock pot and add onions and scallions and saute about 5-7 minutes until onions are translucent.

Add clam broth and bring to a boil. Add white rice, cover and reduce heat to a steady boil. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until rice is cooked through.

Remove the stockpot from the stove top. Take ¾ of the reserved clam meats, add to the stock pot and puree the bisque with a handheld immersion blender. Be very careful not to splatter hot soup!

Add ½ cup of cream and stir in. Add additional ½ cup of cream, if desired.

Ladle bisque into individual bowls and add a handful of the remaining ¼ whole clam meats to each bowl. Add optional seasonings, to taste.