Clam Chowder Recipe
Make the Clam Chowder Recipe: creamy, briny chowder with bacon, potatoes, and clams—serve warm and enjoy.
Ingredients
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon (about 4 oz / 115 g), cut into 1/2-inch (1.25 cm) pieces
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) unsalted butter
- 1 medium yellow onion (about 8 oz / 225 g), finely diced
- 2 ribs celery (about 4 oz / 115 g), finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped (or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/4 cup (30 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 (6.5 oz / 184 g each) cans chopped clams, juices reserved separately from clams
- 1 1/2 cups (355 ml) bottled clam juice (or seafood stock)
- 1 1/2 cups (355 ml) low-sodium chicken stock or water
- 1 pound (450 g) russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch (1.25 cm) cubes
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
- 1 cup (240 ml) whole milk, at room temperature
- 1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (optional, for depth of flavor)
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus more for garnish if desired
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives, for garnish (optional)
- Oyster crackers or crusty bread, for serving (optional)
- Hot sauce, to taste, for serving (optional)
Instructions
Step 1: Crisp the bacon and reserve its fat
Start by rendering the bacon until the pieces are deeply golden and crisp, using medium heat so the fat slowly releases without burning. Drain the hot bacon on paper towel so it stays crunchy, and set the reserved fat aside — you want about 2–3 tablespoons of glossy amber fat to carry flavor forward. Keep the crisp bacon separate for finishing so its texture remains pronounced when the chowder is served.
Step 2: Gently sweat the aromatics in the bacon fat and butter
Lower the heat and melt butter into the reserved bacon fat, then add the finely diced onion and celery. Cook slowly until the vegetables are soft, translucent, and silky but not browned; stir often so the pieces plump and release sweetness. Finish this phase by stirring in the minced garlic and torn thyme leaves just until fragrant—bright, glossy vegetal pieces flecked with tiny green herbs, the aromatic base that will perfume the chowder.
Step 3: Build a pale roux and integrate the clam juices into a smooth base
Sprinkle the flour evenly over the softened vegetables and stir continuously to form a paste-like, pale roux that clings to the spoon—cooked through but not browned. Gradually whisk in the reserved clam juices and bottled clam juice until the mixture becomes a silky, slightly thickened, beige emulsion with no lumps; the texture should be smooth and velvety, a glossy starting point for simmering. Keep your whisk or wooden spoon nearby, resting with streaks of roux to show the recent action.
Step 4: Add stock, bay leaf, and simmer with potatoes until tender
Pour in the chicken stock (or water) and nestle in a bay leaf, then bring the liquid up to a gentle simmer. Add the peeled, 1/2‑inch cubed russets and cook uncovered at a low, steady simmer until the potato cubes are just tender but still hold their shape. The visual milestone here is pale, creamy broth studded with uniformly cut, matte potato cubes and a single bay leaf floating — a cohesive, spoonable texture that’s thickening and smelling like the sea.
Step 5: Warm in the dairy, fold in clams, and finish seasoning
Reduce the heat to low and stir in room-temperature milk and cream slowly so the dairy melds without curdling; the chowder should look luxuriously creamy, the surface satiny and smooth. Add the chopped clams and any juices, simmering only briefly until heated through so the clams remain tender. Stir in Worcestershire if using, fold in chopped parsley, taste and adjust salt and pepper, and if necessary thin slightly with a little stock or milk to reach a spoonable yet velvety consistency. Allow the pot to rest off heat for a few minutes so the texture settles.
Step 6: Plate and garnish for maximum textural contrast
Ladle the chowder into warm serving bowls, topping each with the reserved crisp bacon pieces, a bright sprinkle of chopped parsley and chives, and a fresh crack of black pepper. Plate with a small side of crusty bread or a ramekin of oyster crackers and an optional bottle of hot sauce on the side — the goal is a close-up composition that emphasizes creamy silk, tender potato and clam morsels, and the crunchy irregularity of bacon crumbles.
Step 7: Cool, store, and reheat gently if needed
If you won’t eat all of it right away, cool the chowder to room temperature within an hour and refrigerate in an airtight container for up to three days. Reheat slowly over low heat, stirring frequently and keeping the temperature below a simmer so the dairy and clams remain tender and the texture stays creamy.
Notes
- Use thick-cut bacon for texture and render slowly to collect flavorful fat.
- Keep milk and cream at room temperature before adding to avoid curdling.
- Reserve clam juices and whisk them into the roux gradually to prevent lumps.
- Reheat gently over low heat and thin with stock if the chowder thickens after resting.
- Substitute pancetta or smoked salt for a different smoky profile.