New England Clam Chowder

Chowda.

I’ve honestly never been a fan of Clam Chowder. Perhaps it was the thought of slimy clams, or just the word, “clammy,” that made me queasy. Or maybe it was because my past experiences with Clam Chowder have always involved a can-opener? I don’t know… I’m just throwing out ideas here.

But I finally bit the bullet and ordered New England Clam Chowder a couple months ago at a local fish market. And I am so glad I did, because let me tell you, all of my childhood aversions and adult fears were shattered after one spoonful!

How did I judge a soup based off it’s canned-food-evil-twin for this long? Heck, I am from the Bay Area and I’ve just now gotten over my fear of clams?! Despicable.

Ever since ordering New England Clam Chowder I have loved it and have craved it. I knew it was one of the first things I wanted to make when I was home for the holidays.

This chowder is pretty much everything you would expect in a delicious bowl of New England Clam Chowder; creamy, thick, flavorful, and heavenly. It’s also a relatively cheap, quick, and easy meal to whip up for the masses!

New England Clam Chowder by The Bite-Sized Baker:

½ package bacon (½ pound), cut crosswise into ½-inch pieces

2 large carrots, peeled and chopped

1 Spanish onion, chopped

2 stalks of celery, trimmed, quartered lengthwise, then sliced into ¼-inch pieces

4 cups chicken stock

1 cups heavy cream

½ cup whole milk

½ pound russet potatoes, cut into ½-inch cubes

¼ cup butter

¼ cup all purpose flour

3 6 ½-ounce cans chopped clams, in juice

2-3 cups clam juice

Fresh thyme, chopped

Fresh parsley, chopped

Fresh rosemary, chopped

1 bay leaf

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Oyster crackers and Tabasco, optional

1. Cook bacon in large Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp. Add carrots, onion, and celery until softened.
2. Add chicken stock, clam juice, and potatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and add cream, milk, thyme, parsley, rosemary, and bay leaf; simmer potatoes until tender.
3. While soup is simmering, begin to make roux. Begin by heating ¼ cup butter in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add flour and whisk vigorously to form a thick paste. Immediately add roux to Dutch oven and mix to combine.
4. Add clams and season to taste with salt and pepper, cook until clams are just firm, another 2 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and serve. Garnish with oyster crackers and Tabasco sauce.