New England Clam Chowder Recipe

Prep Time:

20 mins

Total Time:

40 mins

Servings:

4

There’s nothing quite like New England clam chowder. The classic creamy soup is rich, filling, and full of tender chopped seafood in a delicious broth. Our recipe will help you make this favorite in just 40 minutes. We’ve streamlined some of the steps and switched up a couple of ingredients to make the chowder better and to ensure the clams are not overcooked. While many recipes call for salt pork, we use pancetta for its herbal spice. Go with bacon for a hint of smokiness or try dry chorizo for a paprika kick. We also add a couple of small spoonfuls of flour for a silky broth, but you can leave it out if you prefer a thinner soup.

How to Clean Clams

Many chowder recipes call for cleaning clams in water with a few spoonfuls of cornmeal. But Sarah Carey, previous food content director for the decorvow brand, submerges them in a large bowl of cold water with 2 tablespoons of fine sea salt. The small grains dissolve quickly and mimic the clams’ natural environment, which encourages them to filter out sand on their own. Refrigerate for 3 hours, rinse with cold water, and you’re ready to cook.

Make your New England clam chowder totally pescatarian simply by skipping the meat.

Directions

Cook clams:

Working in batches if necessary, place clams in a medium saucepan with 1 3/4 cups water. Cover and bring to a boil. Uncover, stir, and continue to cook, removing clams as soon as they open (this way, none of them will overcook and turn too chewy).
Strain liquid; remove clams from shells and chop:

Once they've all been removed, strain liquid through a sieve lined with a dampened cheesecloth to get rid of residual grit. You should have 3 cups broth; if you have less, add water or bottled clam broth. Gently separate clams from shells; discard shells and coarsely chop clams (halve if small).
Clean pan and cook pancetta:

Wash and dry saucepan; place over medium-high heat. Melt butter in pan, then add pancetta and cook, stirring, until browned on edges, about 2 minutes.
Cook onion, add wine:

Add onion, thyme, and bay leaf. Cook until onion is translucent, about 3 minutes. Add wine and simmer, stirring, until almost evaporated, about 3 minutes.
Add flour, then potato and broth:

Sprinkle mixture with flour and keep stirring, 30 seconds. Add potato and broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until potato is tender, about 10 minutes.
Add clams and cream and heat through; serve:

Stir in clams and cream, gently heating through, about 30 seconds. Remove and discard bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper, and serve with crackers.

Heat the clams without boiling, as this would cause them to become tough.