New England Clam Chowder Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Testing and tweaking leads to a delicious, creamy and briny New England Clam Chowder recipe loaded with clams.

Prep Time15

Cook Time35

Total Time50

Course: entree

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chowder, clams, dinner ideas, New England clam chowder, new england clam chowder recipe, soup

Servings:

Calories: 446kcal

In a large pot over medium heat, add the bacon and cook until crisp. Remove the bacon from the pot. When cool, crumble into small pieces and set aside.
Add the butter to the pot to along with the onion and garlic. Sauté the vegetables for 4 to 5 minutes or until the onions are translucent.
Stir the flour into the pot along with the onions and garlic. Continue stirring and cooking the flour mixture for about 30 seconds.
Slowly pour the light cream into the pot while stirring constantly. Slowly pour in the bottles of clam juice. Stir to combine. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes or until the chowder is slightly thickened. Stir occasionally.
Stir in the Old Bay seasoning, kosher salt and pepper.
Add the potatoes to the pot and bring the chowder to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 12 to 15 minutes.
Stir in the drained clams, fresh thyme, and the crumbled bacon. Continue cooking the chowder for about 2 minutes.
Serve in large shallow bowls sprinkled with fresh parsley and a handful of oyster crackers.

Butter and flour are used to make a roux that thickens the soup. After adding the flour, stir and cook it for 30 seconds to 1 minute. This removes the flour taste from the roux.
Let the light cream come to room temperature before adding to the chowder. It will speed up the prep time as the chowder with heat up quicker.
Add the clams at the very end of the cooking time. They are already cooked. In essence you are just reheating them. Also, overcooking clams will make the clams tough and chewy.