New England Clam Chowder

Clam chowder is a New England staple recipe that combines salty, savory clams with all sorts of nourishing, filling ingredients to make a tasty soup that’s suitable for any weather.

Why not make your own Bread Bowls for this recipe? And if you love chowder, check out my Manhattan Clam Chowder recipe as well!

New England Clam Chowder

Clam chowder is one of those recipes that you really only find at local restaurants on the New England seafront.

However, as long as you can get your hands on some cans of minced and whole clams, you can easily make it yourself.

It will feel like you are actually on the seaside, sipping some fresh clam chowder, ideally from a thick bread bowl, with the smell of salt, fish, and seaside wafting through the air. Plus, it will probably taste even better because you made it yourself!                                                                                                                                          

New England Clam Chowder Ingredients

Don’t forget to look at the very bottom of the page for the exact amounts that you need for this recipe.

• Bacon

• Onion

• Celery

• Minced garlic

• Russet potatoes

• Bottles of clam juice

• Chicken broth

• Cans of minced clams

• Can of whole clams

• Dried thyme

• Bay leaf

• Heavy cream

• Cornstarch

• Black pepper & salt

• Green onions (or chives)

• Oyster crackers for garnish

• Bread bowls

How To Make New England Clam Chowder

• Fry the bacon in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until the bacon is tender-crisp

• Drain the bacon on paper towels and reserve some of the fat in the Dutch oven

• Sauté the onions in the Dutch oven for 5 minutes

• Add in the celery and cook until the onions are translucent and the celery has softened

• Add in the garlic and sauté until browned and fragrant, about 2 minutes

• reserve a bit of bacon to the side and then add the rest to the pot

• Add in the potatoes, and then pour in the clam juice, chicken broth, thyme, and bay leaf

• Bring to a low simmer, and cook until the potatoes are tender and falling apart

• Remove the bay leaf and then whisk the cornstarch into the heavy cream

• Add the cornstarch mixture to the soup to thicken, simmering for 2 minutes while whisking

• Stir in the minced and whole clams and heat them through

• Season to taste, and then prepare your bread bowls and fill them with chowder

• Garnish with the reserved bacon, green onion, and oyster crackers and enjoy

What About All Of The Different Types Of Clam Chowder You Can Make?

This recipe for clam chowder makes a traditional New England clam chowder, which some would argue is the original style.

However, there are actually all sorts of different clam chowders you can make, all with varying levels of clam flavor and other ingredients.

The classic New England recipe here uses a simple cream sauce to provide the necessary richness. A Manhattan clam chowder, meanwhile, is a tomato-based broth rather than cream and is insanely red in color.

The recipe is pretty similar, except for the huge amount of tomato sauce.

There is also a Rhode Island clam chowder, made from a clear broth, which is super clam-forward with not a lot of other flavors.

Finally, there is the Long Island clam chowder, which is a sort of the halfway point between New England and Manhattan – you quite literally make both of them and mix them together!

Maybe not worth it in the home kitchen, but definitely something worth trying at some point.  

Do You Have To Use Both Minced & Whole Clams?

This recipe for New England clam chowder uses both minced and whole clams, which some people might say is a little bit excessive.

Well, the trouble with making a clam chowder at home is the ability to get a hold of fresh clams. Unless you happen to live right on the seaside, you probably will not be able to find the best quality clams year-round.

Using cans of clams is definitely the best bet, as it ensures you have a good quality of freshness regardless of when in the year you buy it.

Using both minced and whole clams is necessary for the soup texture and it makes it a lot easier to buy minced clams. You could just as easily double up on the cans of whole clams and mince them yourself, but trying to mince wet clams with a kitchen knife is not an easy job.

Unless you feel like practicing chopping up clam bits, get the minced clams – you’ll thank me later. 

Looking for more delicious Soup recipes? Try these out:

• Cabbage Soup Recipe

• Cream of Celery Soup

• French Onion Soup

Enjoy!

Let’s hear it for soup season, it’s my favorite time of year!

Love,

Karlynn

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