New England Clam Chowder (Printable View)

A creamy soup with tender clams, 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 - 1½ cups heavy cream
09 - 1 cup whole milk
10 - 2 tbsp unsalted butter

→ Pantry

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

# How To Make It:

01 - Rinse clams thoroughly under cold water and scrub shells clean. In a large pot, combine clams and 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 cooking liquid; reserve both.
02 - Once cooled, remove clam meat from shells, chop coarsely, and set aside.
03 - In a large Dutch oven, cook diced bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving 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 sautéed vegetables and stir continuously for 1 minute to develop a roux.
06 - Gradually stir in reserved clam cooking liquid and bottled clam juice, scraping browned bits from the pot. Incorporate diced potatoes, bay leaf, and thyme. Bring to a simmer and cook until potatoes soften, about 10–12 minutes.
07 - 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.
08 - Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Remove bay leaf. Serve hot, garnished with parsley and accompanied by oyster crackers if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The clams cook in their own liquid, making every spoonful taste like you're eating straight from the sea.
  • It comes together faster than you'd expect, with most of the time spent just letting it gently simmer.
  • There's something almost meditative about how the cream transforms into something silky and rich without any fussiness.
02 -
  • Don't let the cream boil, or it will separate and your chowder will break into something grainy and sad—keep the heat low and patient in those final minutes.
  • The potatoes need to be cut into small, uniform pieces so they cook evenly and thicken the broth naturally as they soften.
  • Taste as you go because the clam juice is already quite salty, and you don't want to oversalt and bury the subtle flavors.
03 -
  • Buy your clams the day you're going to cook them, keep them in the coldest part of your fridge in a bowl of ice, and listen for the sound they make when the shells click together—that's how you know they're alive.
  • If a clam refuses to open during cooking, don't force it; just discard it, because a closed clam is one that didn't want to be there in the first place.
Return