New England Clam Chowder

New England Clam Chowder in red bowl with spoon.

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Northeastern New England Clam Chowder made with simple, authentic ingredients just like they make up North!

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Cooling time30

Total Time1 10

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Servings: cups

Calories: 346kcal

Author: Anecia Hero

Equipment

Sharp knife

Ingredients

4 ounces salt pork, minced Read the Recipe Notes first
2 tablespoons butter, unsalted
1½ cups finely diced yellow onion
3 cups diced russet potatoes
4 cups clam juice
2 cups chopped clams
2 cups whole milk
12 ounces evaporated milk
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Prep

Mince salt pork into tiny pieces; peel and dice potatoes; finely chop onion; drain clams and reserve the juice, or liquor; set all this aside
4 ounces salt pork, minced, 3 cups diced russet potatoes, 1½ cups finely diced yellow onion

Make the Chowder

In a large stockpot or Dutch oven on low heat, add butter; once melted, add minced salt pork and chopped onions; cook on low until onions are transluscent, but not browned
2 tablespoons butter, unsalted
Add diced potatoes and clam juice (you want enough juice to cover the potatoes); cook on medium heat until potatoes are almost fork tender
4 cups clam juice
Add clams to the stockpot and turn off the heat; let the chowder rest for 30-minutes (until the temperature is below 100°F); once cooled, add whole milk and evaporated milk; turn the heat back on to low and cook until it's warmed throughout; taste for salt and pepper; adjust accordingly
2 cups chopped clams, 2 cups whole milk, 12 ounces evaporated milk, salt and pepper to taste

Notes

Authentic New England Clam Chowder is a relativey thin chowder; not thick like canned or restaurant versions. Some recipes add flour to the recipe to create a roux, but that is not necessary if you use the right potatoes.

Salt pork

Authentic New England Clam Chowder uses salt pork; however, you can substitute with bacon.

The best way to cut salt pork is with a super sharp knife or sharp kitchen shears (it's oily and slippery, so sometimes kitchen scissors work best)

Onion

I used sweet yellow onion, but you can use a plain yellow onion or a white onion. You want to finely dice it so there's not big chunks of onion in your soup.

Potatoes

Russet or Idaho potatoes work best in this recipe because they are high in starch and easily dissolve to create a creamy soup. If you use a waxy potato, like a Yukon gold or red creamer, your soup will be super thin, as these types of potatoes do not dissolve-and you'll probably have to adjust the milk/cream accordingly. Russets work best.

I found a medium-sized russet yielded about one-cup of diced potatoes, so keep that in mind when you're buying potatoes.

Clams and Clam Juice (also called "clam liquor")

I used 2 cans of whole baby clams and 2 cans of chopped clams. If you can't find whole clams, use the equivalent portion of chopped or minced clams. Whichever you use, be sure to reserve the clam juice.

The juice from canned clams is not going to be enough; you need to buy four 8-ounce jars of clam juice. I used "Snow's" brand; it comes in a bottle and is usually on the same aisle at the grocery store as the clams and tuna.

Milk

Traditional recipes use "light cream," which has 18-30% fat (heavy cream has 36% fat.) It's hard to find "light cream" at American grocery stores (especially in the South), so you can use a combination of whole millk and a can of evaporated milk or, you can use heavy cream and milk in a 1:1 ratio.

Curdling

A warning. The soup needs to cool a bit before adding the dairy. Do not ignore this or your chowder may curdle, particularlly if you use heavy cream.

Salt and Pepper

Salt pork, clams and clam juice are already salty, so be sure to adjust for salt and the very end of the cooking process. Season with pepper to your liking. Ground white pepper is stronger than ground black pepper, so go easy on it until you get it like you want.

Nutrition