One of my favourite foods are “soups that eat like a meal”. All one needs is a big bowl of soup, some crackers and dig in!
Up until about a year ago my clam chowder used to come from a can or whenever I visited a seafood restaurant. I pleased to announce those days are over.
This soup is rich, it’s easy, it’s thick, it’s very flavourful and, it’s affordable. One could go out and my fresh clams, steam them and pluck the meat out for this soup but the canned variety work just fine.
Surprisingly, one of the highlights of this soup is the fresh parsley that’s tossed in at the end. Through most of my life, I’ve hated parsley. It was simply a garnish tossed to the side before eating my meal.
Parsley is probably the world’s most popular herb. It derives its name from the Greek word meaning “rock celery” (parsley is a relative to celery). It is a biennial plant that will return to the garden year after year once it is established.
Another thing I’d like to highlight about this chowder is that no flour was used as a thickener. This recipe came from Michael Smith of Chef at Home and it’s a winner and it’s not a surprise as he’s from the Maritimes. Instead of flour, this soup is thickened by a grated potato. I made two additions to the chowder. I added a grated carrot for sweetness and colour and I added 1 large potato, diced into spoon sized pieces.
New England Clam Chowder
- 3 to 4 slices of bacon, chopped
- 1 1/2 cups diced onion
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1 cup of cream
- 1 cup of milk
- 1 large baking potato, peeled and diced
- 2 x 5 oz cans of clam meat
- 2 x large bay leafs
- 1 tsp of fresh thyme leaves
- 1 cup of grated baking potato
- 1 x can of unsweetened evaporated milk
- 1/4 cup of chopped flat leaf parsley
- Salt and pepper
- Brown the bacon until crisp in a thick-bottomed soup pot. Pour off half of the fat. Add the onions and celery, grated potato with a splash of water and sweat for a few minutes until soft.
- Add the white wine, cream, milk and the juice from the clams (reserve the actual clams for the end so they don’t toughen). Add the bay leaf, thyme and diced potato and bring the mixture to a slow simmer. Continue simmering for 20 minutes until the diced potato softens and your soup has thickened.
- Add the reserved clam meat, evaporated milk and parsley. Bring back to heat. Taste the chowder and add enough salt and pepper to season it. Serve immediately with your favourite crackers!
I’ll have a nice big bowl of this soup Peter!! I like the addition of potato in the soup both as a thickener as well as a vegetable. Well done!
In my sister’s family they have clam chowder every year for Christmas Ever. Your version looks really great; the photos are just excellent!
Wow, wonderful site, great recipes with a very good variatin, recipes are very structured and your photos are nice too. will try some of your recipes, thank you for sharing:-)
X Matin
Looks good! Clam chowder has been on my to try list for a while now.
Can this chowder be done with fresh clams and if so, do you boil them first and use the broth as well? What quantity do you suggest Peter because this soup must be fantastic.
Ivy, of course you can use fresh clams. You’ll need 2 lbs. (kg) of clams.
Make a bouquet garni by placing the 3 sprigs thyme, parsley, garlic cloves, and peppercorns in cheesecloth and tying with kitchen twine. Add wine, water, and bouquet garni to a large saucepan and bring to a simmer. Add the clams, cover with a lid, and cook until clams open. Strain the clams into a bowl, reserving both the juice and clams.
(from a Wolfgang Puck recipe)
It looks wonderful…but reading the recipe really has mu drooling…
I love a big bowl of hot food in the winter…maybe a loaf of hot bread to go with it..
Peter, I also love having a soup for a whole meal. This one looks so warm and rich. I’ve bookmarked, can’t wait to try it.
This sounds great Peter! I can honestly say, even living in New England most of my adult life, I have never made my own Chowda! I have never been a huge parsley fan either, but it is starting to have a place on my plate now.
Jenn, I’ll have you know I’ve tasted good “chowda” in Boston and Cape Cod. It was “wicked-awesome”! lol
Looks like another tasty winner!
Outstanding Peter. Most times when one sees a chowder it is a glop of gooey-ness but look at how fresh and inviting yours is.
i am normally frightened of meats and veggies that come out of cans, but i trust your opinions and so i’ll have to try this one out. the weather is finally ripe for it.
thanks!
Thanks Peter for info
Wow does this look fantastic. I grew up loving New England Clam Chowder (my parents live in Connecticut), but as I got older they seemed to be a bit pasty for my taste. Yours looks like just the right combo of creamy and “soupy.” I’ll give it a shot!
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I just made your Clam Chowder and had it for dinner. It was wonderful!! Best I’ve ever had and it was so quick and easy to make.
Natasha, I’m thrilled to hear that you enjoyed it!