New England Clam Chowder
New England Clam Chowder is the ultimate comfort food, born from the rocky shores of the Northeast. This creamy, hearty soup has been a coastal staple for generations, with tender clams, chunks of potato, and smoky bacon swimming in a rich broth!
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- ½ pound thick cut bacon cut in half
- 3 tablespoons reserved bacon drippings see note
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 3 ribs celery diced
- 5 cloves garlic
- ¼ teaspoon coarse ground pepper
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ⅓ cup flour
- 2 cups clam juice see note (comes from the canned clams)
- 1 ½ cups whole milk
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- 3 tablepsoons chopped fresh parsley or 2 teaspoons dried
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon tabasco sauce
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 ½ pounds russet potatoes about 3-4, peeled and diced into small bite-sized pieces
- 4 6.5 ounce cans chopped clams reserve the juices
- oyster crackers for topping
- parsley for topping
Instructions
- Open the cans of clams and drain the juice into a liquid measuring cup. You should get about 2 cups. If you don’t have 2 cups you can add more clam juice from a jar or add a few tablespoons of water or chicken broth to make 2 cups.
- Cook the bacon in a 4 ½ quart soup pot or dutch oven over medium low heat. Cook until crisp. Remove to a paper towel lined plate and pour out all bacon grease except 3 tablespoons.
- Add the butter to the pot and use a wooden spoon to scrape the bacon remnants from the pan. This will help get lots of flavor into your soup.
- Add the onions and celery. Increase the temperature to medium and cook until soft, about 4-5 minutes.
- Add the flour and whisk to coat everything evenly then add the garlic, pepper, and paprika and cook an additional 2 minutes.
- Slowly stir in the clam juice, whole milk, and heavy cream while whisking.
- Sprinkle in the parsley, oregano, tabasco sauce, kosher salt, bay leaves and half the crumbled bacon.
- Bring the soup to a simmer then reduce the heat to keep a gentle simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the potatoes and simmer until the potatoes are cooked through, about 20-30 minutes. Stir in the clams when the potatoes are almost cooked through.
- Remove the bay leaves and serve garnished with the remaining crumbled bacon, oyster crackers, and chopped parsley, if desired.
Notes
- You get about ½ cup clam juice from each can of clams. If you still need more clam juice to make 2 cups you can use water or chicken broth.
- If you don’t use kosher salt, use ½ the amount.
- You can leave out the bacon if you’d rather a purely clam taste for the chowder. Add 3 tablespoons extra butter in place of the bacon grease
- In place of milk and cream you can use 3 cups of half and half instead.
- Make sure you simmer for 20 minutes before adding the potatoes or the chowder won’t be thick enough when the potatoes are cooked through.
Nutrition
Calories: 598kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 43g | Saturated Fat: 22g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 110mg | Sodium: 831mg | Potassium: 867mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1359IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 157mg | Iron: 2mg
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www.soulfullymade.com/new-england-clam-chowder/To see the web version with photos, tips
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https://www.soulfullymade.com/new-england-clam-chowder/