New England Clam Chowder

⏱ 75 mins 🍽 4-6 serving(s) 🏷 Chowders

This recipe creates a traditional New England clam chowder, a rich and creamy soup. It begins by steaming fresh clams to create a homemade broth. The base is built with bacon, onions, celery and potatoes, simmered until tender. Finished with cream and fresh herbs, it's a hearty and satisfying dish perfect for a comforting lunch or dinner. The recipe yields enough for four to six people and takes about 75 minutes to prepare from start to finish.

New England Clam Chowder

Ingredients

  • 8 lbs small quahogs or 8 lbs cherrystone clams
  • 4 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 cups finely chopped yellow onions
  • 1 cup finely chopped celery
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 6 sprigs fresh thyme leaves
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 3 cups cubed potatoes, 1/2 inch cubes,peeled (about 1 1/4 lbs.)
  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
  • salt
  • 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into tsp size pieces
  • 1/4 cup fresh minced flat leaf parsley
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped scallion

Method

  1. Bring 2 cups of water to the boil in a large stockpot.
  2. Place the clams in the pot, cover it, and cook them for 5 minutes.
  3. Take off the lid, stir the clams briefly with a wooden spoon, and cover the pot once more.
  4. Cook for another 5 to 10 minutes, until the majority of the clams have opened.
  5. Move the clams to a large bowl. Strain the cooking liquid twice through a fine sieve or cheesecloth into a separate bowl to remove any sand.
  6. You should have approximately 6 cups of clam broth.
  7. If needed, add water to bring the total broth volume up to 6 cups.
  8. Once the clams are cool, take the meat from the shells and chop it into 1/2 inch pieces.
  9. Reserve the chopped clams and the prepared broth.
  10. Cook the bacon pieces in a large, heavy pot until crisp and the fat has rendered.
  11. Drain away all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat from the pot.
  12. Add the butter, chopped onions and celery to the pot and cook until they soften, which should take about 5 minutes.
  13. Stir in the garlic, thyme and bay leaves and cook for about 3 minutes until the vegetables are fully wilted, taking care not to let them colour.
  14. Pour in the reserved clam broth and add the cubed potatoes, then bring everything to a boil.
  15. Reduce the heat, cover the pot, and let it simmer for 20 to 30 minutes until the potatoes are very soft and the broth has thickened slightly.
  16. For a thicker consistency, you can mash some of the potato pieces against the side of the pot with your spoon.
  17. Take the pot off the heat. Mix in the reserved clams and the heavy whipping cream, then season with salt and the 1/4 teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper to taste.
  18. Let the chowder stand for 1 hour so the flavours can meld together.
  19. Gently reheat the soup over a low heat, ensuring it does not come to a boil.
  20. Ladle the hot chowder into bowls and garnish each serving with a pat or two of the cold butter and some of the chopped scallions.

Nutrition (per serving)

Sodium148800 mg

Recipe details

CategoryChowders
AuthorAlan Leonetti