American · Lunch · All year
New England Clam Chowder
4.6 · community
20m
Prep
35m
Cook
Easy
Level
420
Energy
The creamy one (Manhattan partisans, another day): clams, bacon, potatoes, and cream in a chowder that's thick but never wallpaper.
What you need
Ingredients
Servings
6
Before you start
Mise en place
Equipment
Chef's knife
Cutting board
Large bowl
Prep checklist
Clams — steamed open, liquor strained and kept
Bacon — diced
Yukon Gold Potatoes — diced
Clam Juice — plus the steaming liquor
4 steps
Method
1
Steam the clams open in a cup of water; strain and keep every drop of liquor. Chop the meat.
6 min — timer available in cooking mode
2
Crisp the bacon; soften onion and celery in the fat, 6 minutes; flour in for 2.
9 min — timer available in cooking mode
3
Clam juice, liquor, potatoes, bay, thyme: simmer until the potatoes yield, 12–14 minutes.
13 min — timer available in cooking mode
4
Cream and clams in for a final 3 minutes — never boiling again (rubber clams live down that road). Oyster crackers overboard.
3 min — timer available in cooking mode
From the pass
Chef's notes
Taste before serving and adjust salt and acid — the last 30 seconds of seasoning matter more than any single ingredient.
Afterwards
Keep, reheat & pair
Storage
Refrigerate components separately up to 3 days; dress and assemble just before eating.
Freezing
Salads and sandwiches don't freeze; soups freeze beautifully for 3 months.
Reheating
Soups reheat gently on the stove with a splash of water. Sandwiches and salads are best assembled fresh — store components separately.
Make ahead
Batch the components (proteins, dressings, grains) on Sunday; assemble in minutes all week.
Wine pairing
Something light and cold — a crisp white, a spritz, or iced tea.
Beer pairing
A crisp pilsner or wheat beer keeps lunch light.
On the plate
Serve it with
Sides
Kettle chips or a simple green salad
A cup of soup
Quick-pickled vegetables
Garnish
Flaky salt and cracked pepper
A drizzle of good olive oil
Fresh soft herbs
Taste map
Flavour profile
Sweet
1
Salty
3
Sour
2
Bitter
1
Umami
3
Heat
0
Per serving
Nutrition
420
kcal
22g
protein
34g
carbs
22g
fat
3g
fiber
520mg
sodium
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Your notes
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