New England Clam Chowder (Print Version)

Creamy soup featuring tender littleneck clams, hearty potatoes, and savory vegetables from New England's coastal tradition.

# What You'll Need:

→ Seafood

01 - 2 lbs fresh littleneck clams, scrubbed
02 - 1 cup bottled clam juice or reserved clam cooking liquid

→ Vegetables

03 - 2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and diced (about 2 cups)
04 - 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
05 - 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
06 - 1 small carrot, finely chopped
07 - 2 cloves garlic, minced

→ Dairy

08 - 1 ½ cups heavy cream
09 - 1 cup whole milk
10 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

→ Pantry

11 - 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
12 - 2 slices bacon, diced
13 - 1 bay leaf
14 - ½ teaspoon dried thyme
15 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
16 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)
17 - Oyster crackers (optional, for serving)

# How To Make It:

01 - Rinse clams under cold water and scrub shells thoroughly. In a large pot, combine clams with 2 cups water, bring to a boil, cover, and steam for 5–7 minutes until clams open. Discard any unopened clams. Remove clams and strain reserved cooking liquid.
02 - Allow clams to cool, then remove meat from shells and chop coarsely. Set aside.
03 - In a large Dutch oven, cook diced bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving rendered fat in the pot.
04 - Add butter to the bacon fat, then sauté onion, celery, carrot, and garlic until softened, approximately 5 minutes.
05 - Sprinkle flour over the softened vegetables and stir continuously for 1 minute to create a roux.
06 - Gradually incorporate reserved clam cooking liquid and bottled clam juice, scraping up any browned bits from the pot bottom.
07 - Add diced potatoes, bay leaf, and dried thyme. Bring to a simmer and cook until potatoes are tender, about 10–12 minutes.
08 - Reduce heat to low and stir in chopped clams, cooked bacon, heavy cream, and whole milk. Simmer gently without boiling for 5–10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
09 - Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, then remove the bay leaf. Ladle chowder into bowls, garnish with fresh parsley, and serve hot with optional oyster crackers.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The cream and clam juice balance each other perfectly, making every spoonful taste like the ocean decided to be gentle with you.
  • It's the kind of soup that tastes even better the next day, and somehow knows exactly when you need it most.
  • You'll have leftover clam juice and bacon fat in your kitchen, which means bonus flavor for weeks.
02 -
  • Don't throw away the clam cooking liquid—that's the difference between good chowder and chowder that tastes like the ocean made it.
  • If a clam doesn't open after steaming, discard it without hesitation; that's the one rule that matters for safety.
  • Keep the heat low once the cream goes in, or you'll end up with a grainy mess instead of velvety soup.
03 -
  • Make this soup a day ahead and refrigerate it—the flavors meld overnight and it tastes even better the next day when you gently reheat it over low heat.
  • If your soup seems too thin after everything's been added, whisk together a tablespoon of flour and a tablespoon of cold water into a slurry and stir it in while simmering; it thickens quickly without making things grainy.
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