Name: New England Clam Chowder
Cook time: 1 1/4 hours
Total time: 1 1/4 hours
Yield: Makes 8 to 10 servings
Ingredients: 8 pounds cherrystone clams, scrubbed; 1 tablespoon unsalted butter; 8 ounces bacon, cut into 1/2" pieces; 2 celery stalks, minced; 1 large onion, minced; 1 garlic clove, minced; 2 1/2 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2" pieces; 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme; 1 bay leaf; 2 tablespoons cornstarch; 2 cups heavy cream; Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper; 1 freshly ground pepper; Chopped fresh chives; Oyster crackers or Vermont Common Crackers

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New England Clam Chowder

Active Time
1 1/4 hours
Total Time
1 1/4 hours

If fresh clams are unavailable (or you're running short on time), substitute two 10-ounce cans of baby clams and 6 cups of bottled clam juice.

Ingredients

Makes 8 to 10 servings

8 pounds cherrystone clams, scrubbed

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

8 ounces bacon, cut into 1/2" pieces

2 celery stalks, minced

1 large onion, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

2 1/2 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2" pieces

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 cups heavy cream

Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

1 freshly ground pepper

Chopped fresh chives

Oyster crackers or Vermont Common Crackers

Preparation

Step 1
Bring clams and 4 cups water to a boil in a large pot over high heat. Cook until clams just open, 8-10 minutes (discard any that do not open). Using a large slotted spoon, transfer clams to a large rimmed baking sheet; set broth aside. Let clams cool slightly, then pull meat from shells; discard shells.
Step 2
Chop clams into bite-size pieces. Strain broth through a fine-mesh sieve set over a large bowl. Add water if needed to measure 6 cups. DO AHEAD: Clams and broth can be made 1 day ahead. Cover separately and chill.
Step 3
Melt butter in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until fat is rendered and bacon begins to brown, about 8 minutes. Add celery, onion, and garlic and cook, stirring often, until onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add reserved broth (or 6 cups bottled clam juice), potatoes, thyme, and bay leaf. Bring chowder base to a simmer; cook until potatoes are tender, 20-25 minutes. Stir cornstarch and 2 Tbsp. water in a small bowl to form a slurry. Stir slurry into chowder base; return to a boil to thicken. DO AHEAD: Base can be made 1 day ahead. Let cool; cover and chill. Keep clams chilled. Bring base to a simmer before continuing.
Step 4
Remove base from heat. Discard bay leaf. Stir in reserved clams (or two 10-ounce cans baby clams) and cream. Season with salt, if needed (clams' brininess varies), and pepper.
Step 5
Divide chowder among bowls. Garnish with chives and oyster crackers.

Leave a Review

Reviews (31)

We made this with fresh clams our family dug on Block Island and it was spectacular! We make chowder in our vacation every year and this was voted the best ever!
- susanne103
- Connecticut
- 7/18/2021
So so good. Felt a spontaneous urge for some clam chowder, so found this recipe and made it. Very easy recipe and super quick (< 1 hour). Didn't have the patience for shucking fresh clams, so went with canned clams + clam juice, which was extremely delicious nonetheless. I followed the recipe exactly except used three 10 oz cans of clams instead of the 2 suggested (next time would consider using 4 even - I guess I really like clams), added a 10 oz bag of frozen corn, and added 1/4 tsp of cayenne. It wasn't quite as thick as I like it so ended up sprinkling in a bit of flour (maybe 1.5 tbl spn) at the end in addition to the corn starch. Was absolutely delicious as I made it, and I'm sure would be great even without those additions.
- rscec
- New York, NY
- 3/10/2021
This is close. Grew up cooking in MA restaurants. Made vats of chowda. I lost my recipe (silly me for saving it on FB) and have been looking for something close. It was eye opening what is out there. Sorry, Old Bay, wine, cilantro, chicken stock, and yes IMHO garlic don’t belong in a proper NE chowda. We made ours with salt pork and regular flour for the roux. Fine to use all that crap, just understand it isn’t proper chowda
- lizzava
- Alexandria, VA
- 2/6/2021
We have been making this recipe for at least 6 years and love it! It is my daughters favorite soup. We use canned clams and jarred clam juice; the first time we used fresh and it just isn't worth the effort. We also use half cream half milk or just use half and half.
- mfayparis6088
- 1/12/2021
Excellent! Not difficult and very, very good. Not gloppy like some chowders. Received major accolades and will definitely make again!
- catherine31
- New York
- 12/25/2020
Outstanding recipe. Wegman’s seafood department had fresh chopped clams (no shells) so I used 1 1/2 lbs with 3 bottles of clam juice and 3 cups of low sodium seafood stock. I’m not a meat eater so I left out the bacon. I used half and half instead of heavy cream. Really delicious chowder - as good as any restaurant chowder I’ve had. I will definitely make this again.
- mekleger
- Pennsylvania
- 11/6/2020
This was excellent. I only had 4 pounds of littlenecks but I did not reduce the amount of any other ingredients and it was still very flavorful. It is not thick and gloopy like the clam chowder you find in cans or institutional cafeterias, but it is not watery either.
- stumbler02
- 4/22/2020
I do this and at the very end once I have it plated I add a dash of sherry. Pretty amazing.
- Anonymous
- Vancouver
- 2/12/2019
Made this last night with a mix of fresh and canned clams. YUMMMMM!!! We love clam chowder, but hate the pasty versions some restaurants will try to serve us. This had delicious flavors, was easy enough for a weeknight meal, and totally hit the spot on a cold evening! Only change I made was to steam the clams in some white wine.
- kunjan
- Portland, OR
- 1/5/2018
Pleased the whole family. It was perfect!
- bob_bas
- Asheville, NC
- 8/9/2017
I made this recipe and was delighted. I was pleased with the finished product. The directions were easy to follow and the chowder is delicious! I definitely recommend this recipe.
- Anonymous
- Cape Canaveral, FL
- 12/17/2016
When I want to thicken New England Clam Chowder, I use a little bit of instant potato flakes rather than flour. I detest pasty chowder and nothing compares in flavor to freshly shucked clams. Most all chowder you get in any restaurant is made with a commercial base, that is why they all taste the same.
- redhatchris
- Rhode Island
- 1/19/2016
Amazing recipe! I made it with canned clams and clam juice and it still came out with an authentic chowder flavor. I actually completely accidentally left it simmering on really low heat after the heavy cream was added and I think it helped thicken the soup and incorporate the clams a little better (especially if you're using canned). Overall I was really pleased with this recipe as written!
- amr615
- Madison, WI
- 9/22/2015
I'm giving this 2 forks because this didn't turn out how I thought it would. I had gone out and bought sourdough rounds to put this soup in. It was waaaaay too runny for that so we just had the bread on the side. The cornstarch should probably be doubled or tripled but the problem is not knowing how much to thicken it by. More slurry should be added to the base only before the cream goes in or otherwise you're screwed, you can't see anything once that goes in. I tried to add more thickener afterward and ended up with lumps. The flavor was fine but the lumps made it unappetizing to me. I would make it again with the modifications to the amount of slurry.
- mzingrace
- Sacramento, CA
- 3/13/2015
Made this chowder for the Super Bowl. It was incredibly easy to prepare. I used a whole package of bacon (12 oz.) instead of the 8 oz. Also, I used 6x6.5 oz. cans of chopped clams, which yielded an additional three cups of clam juice. It was delicious, and most likely helped the Patriots win the game.
- chefmarshall
- Portland, OR
- 2/2/2015