New England Clam Chowder
The Inspiration…
Today is a Friday during Lent, which means we are not eating meat tonight. Normally, on a Friday during Lent, my husband and I would venture out to one of the many local establishments for a beer battered fish fry*. But it is cold. And snowing. And I really don’t want to change out of my sweatpants.
*(I am from Buffalo, NY and us Buffalonians LOVE a good fish fry. If you are not familiar with a “fish fry”, it is a *LARGE* piece of fish, usually haddock or cod, beer battered and fried to perfection. They are generally served with macaroni salad, coleslaw, french fries, and rye bread. They are the perfect combination of salty, crunchy, creamy, etc. If you are ever in the area, make sure you get one! A lot of places serve them year-round on Friday nights.)
Since it is cold, snowing, and I’m wearing sweatpants I bought in high school - *yikes* - I decided to cook dinner at home. I checked the pantry, thinking worst case scenario we could have tuna melts. However, I stumbled upon canned clams. It is probably unusual to have several cans of clams in your pantry, but my husband and his dad love to make this concoction they call “clam dip”. Clam dip is literally just a can of minced clams and a brick of cream cheese blended together. I know - I promise I won’t create a whole recipe post for it. But if you’re feeling adventurous give it a try. I am supposed to tell you that you are only allowed to eat it with Plain Wavy potato chips. I’m not sure if I’m supposed to say, “I’m sorry” or “You’re welcome”. Don’t tell Tom I am giving away secret family recipes!
Once I found the clams, I decided to make clam chowder. I had onion, celery, potato, butter, whole milk and some heavy cream. Good to go! I started by dicing the vegetables and getting those in a pot with some butter, salt, thyme, and bay leaves. I sauteed that mixture for a few minutes before adding in some clam juice, letting the potatoes cook in the liquid to absorb that wonderful flavor.
Once the potatoes started to soften, I added in the whole milk and let the vegetables continue to cook down. Then comes the heavy cream and cornstarch slurry. Lastly, I added the clams. I didn’t want them to get tough while the soup thickened up, so I saved them until the last minute. Top the soup with chives and some oyster crackers - clam chowder isn’t clam chowder without oyster crackers. Enjoy!
New England Clam Chowder
Ingredients
- 6 TBSP salted butter
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 2 stalks celery, finely diced
- 1 russet potato, peeled and finely diced
- 3 Bay leaves
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp salt
- 8 oz clam juice
- 4 (6.5 oz) cans of clams, minced or chopped
- 1 Quart whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 4 TBSP Cornstarch mixed with 3 TBSP water
Instructions
- Start by melting the butter in a Dutch oven or stock pot over medium heat. Add in the onion, celery, potato, salt, bay leaves and thyme. Stir frequently to keep the potatoes from sticking. Cook for about 5 minutes.
- Add in the clam juice. Simmer the mixture for another 10 minutes, allowing the vegetables to soften and absorb the clam flavor from the juice.
- Add in the whole milk and bring to a simmer. Allow the soup to simmer for another 10 minutes. Stir occasionally. Test a potato for doneness. Once potatoes are soft, add in the cream, cornstarch slurry and pepper. Let the mixture thicken (approx. 3 minutes).
- Add in the clams. Stir the incorporate into the soup and warm up. Taste for seasoning and adjust salt and pepper accordingly.
- Remove bay leaves. Serve garnished with oyster crackers and chopped chives.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
479.87Fat
32.37Sat. Fat
19.61Carbs
25.36Fiber
1.37Net carbs
23.98Sugar
10.62Protein
22.14Sodium
1338.19Cholesterol
130.72Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.