My Favorite New England Clam Chowder Recipes

Steps:

• Place diced bacon in large stock pot over medium-high heat. Cook until almost crisp; add onions, and cook 5 minutes. Stir in water and potatoes, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, and cook uncovered for 15 minutes, or until potatoes are fork tender.
• Pour in half-and-half, and add butter. Drain clams, reserving clam liquid; stir clams and 1/2 of the clam liquid into the soup. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until heated through. Do not allow to boil.

Steps:

• Cover salt pork with water and bring to boil over med-hi heat. Cook 5 minutes.
• With slotted spoon, transfer pork to dutch oven and cook over med-hi heat until crisp. Remove and discard pork and all but a little bit of the drippings.
• Add butter and when melted, add the onions and saute until golden.
• Stir in flour and cook over low heat 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Stir in the pepper and thyme. Add potatoes, 1/2 & 1/2 and chicken broth.
• Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. (Be careful and watch that it doesn't cook above a simmer or very long!).
• Add clams, clam juice, parsley; simmer another 5 min.; stirring occasionally.
• Add lemon juice and pepper sauce and salt to taste. Serve with oyster crackers.

Steps:

• Brown the bacon until crisp in a thick-bottomed soup pot.
• Pour off half the fat.
• Add the onions and celery with a splash of water and saute for a few minutes until soft.
• Add the white wine, cream, milk, and the juice/nectar.
• Add bay leaves, thyme, and the diced potatoes.
• Bring the mixture to a SLOW simmer.
• Continue simmering for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are softened and the chowder has thickened.
• Add the reserved clam meat, evaporated milk and parsley.
• Bring back to a slow simmer.
• Taste the chowder and add enough salt and pepper to season it.
• Serve with your favorite crusty rolls or biscuits!
• Hint- This chowder can be made a day or two in advance and reheated prior to serving. Its flavor actually benefits from resting in the refrigerator overnight.

Steps:

• Place diced bacon in large saucepan with the butter. Cook on medium heat until almost crisp; add onions, and cook 5 minutes. When onions are translucent, stir in water, clam juice and potatoes, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, and cook uncovered until the liquid has reduced by half. Potatoes should be fork tender. Pour in half-and-half and simmer for a further 5 minutes. Adjust seasoning and add chopped clams just before serving, (otherwise clams will be tough). Garnish with crackers and chopped chives.

Steps:

• Rinse the clams several times under cold running water. Transfer to a large pot and add 3 cups water. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then cover and cook until the clams open, about 6 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl; reserve the broth. Transfer the clams to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap so they don't dry out.
• Cook the bacon in a large pot over medium heat until crisp, about 10 minutes; remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Melt the butter in the same pot over medium heat. Add the celery, onion and thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in the reserved clam broth, 1 1/2 cups water and the potato. Bring to a simmer and cook until the potato is tender and the soup thickens slightly, about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, remove the clams from their shells and roughly chop.
• Reduce the heat under the soup to medium low. Whisk in the half-and-half and warm through (do not boil). Remove from the heat. Stir in the chopped clams; season with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with the reserved bacon and chives.

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove to paper towels to drain; set aside. Saute celery and onion in the drippings until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the potatoes, water, clam juice, bouillon, pepper and thyme. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, until potatoes are tender, 15-20 minutes., In a small bowl, combine flour and 1 cup half-and-half until smooth. Gradually stir into soup. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened, 1-2 minutes., Stir in clams and remaining half-and-half; heat through (do not boil). Crumble the cooked bacon; sprinkle over each serving.

Steps:

• Cook and stir bacon in Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan with slotted spoon; drain on paper towels. Discard all but 2 Tbsp. dripping from pan.
• Add yellow onions, celery and thyme to reserved bacon drippings; cook and stir 5 min. or until crisp-tender. Add potatoes, water and 2 Tbsp. bacon; stir. Bring to boil, stirring occasionally. Simmer over medium-low heat 15 to 20 min. or just until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally.
• Microwave milk and cream cheese in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1-1/2 min. or until milk is heated through. Whisk until cream cheese is completely melted and sauce is well blended. Add to potato mixture; stir.
• Stir in clams; cook 2 min. or until heated through, stirring frequently. (Do not let chowder come to boil.) Remove pan from heat.
• Top with green onions and remaining bacon.

Steps:

• Dice the salt pork into small cubes.
• I usually slice it into a grid while it is still attached to the skin, then slice across the skin where it attaches to the fat and the cubes pop off easily.
• Sauté the salt pork in a large 5 quart non stick sauce pan.
• When the cubes are golden brown strain them from the rendered fat onto a paper bag to drain.
• Save 4 tablespoons of the liquid fat from the salt pork,then wipe out the sauce pan with a paper towel.
• Put the fat back in the sauce pan.
• Dice the large onion into small pieces.
• Slice the 3 ribs of celery lengthwise then dice it into small pieces.
• Place the diced onion and celery into the heated pork fat and sauté until the onions are opaque and the celery is a bit soft.
• Pour the entire can of clams (broth and all) into the onion/celery mixture and bring to a simmer.
• Place the rosemary into the clam broth mixture.
• Peel the Maine potatoes OR scrub the red bliss potatoes.
• Then cut them into 3/4-inch cubes--I like them a bit chunky--and soak them in cold water for about five minutes.
• Take the stick of butter and melt it in a small sauce pan.
• Add the 3 tablespoons of flour to the melted butter and stir until well blended.
• Drain the potatoes and place them into the clam mixture, simmer until al dente.
• Next, pour the 2 cups of milk into the simmering clam broth mixture and bring back to a simmer.
• Lastly, swirl the butter/flour roux into the chowder and simmer for about 10 more minutes until the chowder thickens.
• Remove the rosemary and serve this chowder in big bowls with oyster crackers and the pieces of golden brown pork fat, salt and pepper to taste.
• NOTE: I don't like my chowder too thick so you may have to adjust the butter/flour mixture.
• You may skip the butter and use a low-fat margarine.
• You may also substitute skim milk too (or skip the milk altogether, this is called Point Judith/Rhode Island style!).
• You may even skip the whole pork fat thing for a healthier recipe.
• This chowder is so hearty that it stands up well to "healthier alternative" substitutions.