When the weather began to get brisk, my mom always used to whip up her favorite clam chowder recipe. Although we loved it as a dinner option, it was also our go-to soup when we were feeling under the weather. Of course, we were all fans of seafood, especially deliciously sweet clams. Clam Chowder is an American cuisine that uses chopped clams. In addition to clams, this recipe includes bacon, potatoes, onions, and carrots for a hearty, nutritious meal the whole family will love. You can make this delicious soup for dinner, lunch, family get-togethers, or as a healthy soup option when you aren’t feeling quite up to par.
What’s the Difference Between England and Manhattan Clam Chowder?
Clam chowder is a delicious soup made with clams, potatoes, and bacon. Although England and Manhattan clam chowder both have a clean, briny and slightly sweet flavor, they are totally different. New Englanders really take pride in their famous chowder. It’s a thick cream or broth-based soup which includes potatoes and onions sauteed in pork fat. Manhattan clam chowder, on the other hand, has a tomato base and no cream.
Why You’ll Love this Clam Chowder Recipe
I am a huge fan of clams, so I personally love this recipe because I love seafood. But, there are more reasons to love it, and here are just a few of them:
Clam Chowder Ingredients
This recipe is made with hearty and healthy ingredients. Before you delve in, make sure you have everything you need: Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Clams. As its name suggests, the main ingredient is clams. We use cans of chopped clams, but you can use fresh ones if you have them. Bacon. You need 4 slices of bacon. Bacon gives your chowder a salty and delicious flavor pairing beautifully with the sweetness of the clams. Potatoes. Broth and clams won’t fill you up by themselves. Potatoes add to the flavor and texture, but also make this meal super hearty. Vegetables. With carrots, onion, and celery, you are adding a little flavor and a lot of nutritional value. Milk and Cream. Instead of a tomatoey base, milk and cream give you a deliciously creamy texture to your soup. Flour. You won’t taste the flour. It’s used as a thickening agent for your soup. Seasonings. As with any hearty soup, you need a little seasoning. For this recipe, you will use onion, garlic, thyme, salt, pepper, parsley, and a bay leaf.
How to Make Clam Chowder
This clam chowder recipe is super easy to make. Follow the steps below.
Tips and Ticks
I love this recipe just the way it is, but you can make it just as delicious even if you don’t have all the right ingredients. Here are some tips and tricks to substituting successfully.
Substitute milk and heavy cream. You can substitute the milk and heavy cream with half and half.You can substitute broth. Instead of using chicken or vegetable broth, you can use clam juice or shrimp stock/broth.Substitute bacon. If you don’t want to use bacon, you can substitute it with salt pork, pancetta, or diced cubed ham.Thicken the soup. If you feel the soup is too thin, you can add 1-2 tablespoons of cornstarch mixed with the chowder broth and cooked for 1-2 minutes. Thin the soup. If the soup seems too thick, you can thin it by adding a little more milk.
Other Soup Recipes to Try
Fall and winter seasons are the perfect time to get creative with soup. Here are some of my other favorite soup recipes:
Instant Pot Chicken Gnocchi SoupVegan Tomato SoupRussian Buckwheat SoupInstant Pot Chicken Soup
Can I Serve it in a Bread Bowl?
Bread is one of my favorite side options to go with this delicious New England clam chowder soup. In fact, it is traditionally served with bread, or in a bread bowl. With that being said, you can absolutely serve this soup in a bread bowl. Follow this Homemade Bread Bowls recipe to make your own!
What Do I Serve Clam Chowder With?
I serve my clam chowder with toasted bread, soda crackers or oysters. But, you can serve this delicious soup with a variety of sides including:
Cornbread SaladRoasted Broccolini or other vegetablesBread RollsCorn on the cobEasy Garlic Bread
Bursting with seafood flavor in a white, creamy broth, this recipe is sure to be a hit with the whole family. If you liked this recipe as much as I do, pin it to Pinterest for others to enjoy. Remember, sharing is caring. © Little Sunny Kitchen
title: “New England Clam Chowder Recipe” ShowToc: true date: “2024-09-22” author: “Richard Herman”
Made with bacon, plenty of potatoes, and with just the right amount of cream, you will be a chowder master with my instructions for how to make clam chowder.
THE BEST NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER
This recipe has been a favorite in our house for ages! It is far and away Nathan’s favorite dinner recipe. What makes this the best clam chowder recipe you ask? Simple. The roux starts out with bacon! A roux is the mixture of fat and flour to create a thickening agent. That fat is often butter, like in my Chicken Noodle Casserole, but in this amazing clam chowder, it is bacon fat. The bacon fat works perfectly to make a nice creamy base for this soup while adding tons of flavor.
HOW TO MAKE NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER
It was actually my husband who first started making this soup. I had never been a big fan because the broth was so liquidy and thin. New England Clam Chowder should have a nice and thick creamy broth. And then one day I watched Nathan make it. After combining the bacon fat and the flour, he just poured in the clam juice in one big fell swoop. (Cue the horror face emoji.) The key to this recipe working well is to add the clam juice really slowly. I’m talking like two tablespoons at a time when you first start adding it. You want it to be a nice gummy mess with the little bit of clam juice being absorbed each time before you add in more. Do you see how creamy it is in the photos? That’s what you are going for.
MAKING THE BEST NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER
Once you have made it a few times, you’ll be able to make it in your sleep!
NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER SUBSTITUTIONS
My husband hates onions and isn’t a huge fan of celery or parsley, so when I’m making it for just him, I leave all of that out. He loves potatoes, so I add a few more of those than this recipe calls for. You can substitute chicken stock for the clam juice. It lessens the clam taste a little, but saves a bundle as clam juice can be expensive. On the other hand, I’ve had people tell me I’m a heathen for this. It’s your call.
DO I HAVE TO USE BACON?
I guess that you can do this without bacon. (But WHY?!?) Start your recipe by melting 3 tablespoons of butter, and then start sautéing your vegetables. Carry on from there as normal. It is very likely that you will need to season your final soup with a bit of salt.
CAN I USE REGULAR MILK INSTEAD OF HEAVY CREAM?
Please don’t. Without heavy cream, you just aren’t going to get that final creamy soup that I know you want.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH CLAM CHOWDER
This recipe is great with bread for dipping. These one hour dinner rolls or my homemade beer bread would both be perfect. I also love having a salad with my soup. Either this spinach salad or my winter salad would be delicious on the side. If you make this soup or any of my other recipes, I’d love to hear from you!
