The Best Clam Chowder Ever Recipes

CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• In a large pot over medium-high heat add the bacon and cook until slightly crisp and no longer pink. Remove it to a plate with a slotted spoon.
• Add the onion, celery, and garlic and cook until tender. Add the flour and stir.
• Add in the juice from the clams, chicken broth, milk, and half and half, then stir until there aren't any clumps. Add in the potatoes.
• Bring the pot to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer until the potatoes are tender and the soup is thick. Stir in the clams and salt and pepper to taste. Top with crumbled bacon and serve.

MY BEST CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Drain juice from clams into a large skillet over the onions, celery, potatoes and carrots. Add water to cover, and cook over medium heat until tender.
• Meanwhile, in a large, heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Whisk in cream and stir constantly until thick and smooth. Stir in vegetables and clam juice. Heat through, but do not boil.
• Stir in clams just before serving. If they cook too much they get tough. When clams are heated through, stir in vinegar, and season with salt and pepper.

THE BEST CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325. In a glass baking dish, whisk together flour and melted butter until combined. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden and crumbly. Set aside.
• In a large pot, melt 1-2 tablespoons of butter and add celery, onion, and leeks. Cook on medium heat for about 3-5 minutes or until soft and slightly transparent.
• Add all the remaining ingredients EXCEPT the butter/flour mixture, half & half, and clams. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes or until potatoes are cooked through and fork tender.
• Add the butter/flour mixture into chowder and stir until thick. The mixture will be extremely thick.
• Remove chowder from heat and stir in half & half until blended and smooth. Heat to serving temperature (do not bring to a boil), stirring occasionally. Once the chowder has thickened slightly, stir in the clams. Serve immediately.

THE BEST DAMN CLAM CHOWDER EVER

Steps:

• In a large soup pot, brown prosciutto, or bacon over medium-low heat until crisp.
• Add the onion and cook until softened.
• Add the flour and stir until lightly colored, about a minute.
• Slowly whisk in the clam broth, reserved clam liquid, potatoes, bay leaf and thyme. Simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.
• Add the clams, cream, fresh parsley, salt and white pepper.
• Bring to a simmer and serve immediately.
• (You may substitute any type of shellfish, or even fish for the clams in this recipe.).

THE BEST CLAM CHOWDER EVER

Steps:

• line a cookie sheet with foil and lightly spray with non-stick spray. cut the bacon in half and lay in single layer on foil.
• Bake bacon at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes- just until crisp but still flexible.
• remove bacon to paper towels for later use.
• open the cans of clams and drain over a bowl to RESERVE the juice. let continue to drain while working on the base of the chowder.
• NOW put all that bacon fat in a large pot. add the onions, celery, old bay seasoning and cook until soft. careful not to burn. you will mostly use a med to medium low heat through out recipe.
• peel the skin off the cooled baked potatoes and dice (large or small pieces depending on how chunky you like your soup) use more or less potatoes depending on how chunky you want it.
• let this cook for about 10 minutes stirring often to prevent scorching on bottom of pan. you want the potatoes to "soak" up the bacon fat. once that has happened. add the butter just until melted.
• sprinkle the flour all over and keep stirring. turn the heat up just a touch and do this for about 5 minutes or so until you see some browning happening in bottom of pot.
• NOW add that broth from the can, pay attention there may be a little bit of grit in the bottom from the clams, you dont want that in the pot.
• add enough water to cover the potatoes in the pot add pepper.
• bring this up to a boil and then turn down the heat to a low simmer for about 30 minutes.
• add your clams, and the bacon crumbled up and let cook for 15 minutes.
• add the heavy cream, cajun seasoning and let simmer on low for another 15 minutes.
• taste and adjust seasoning if desired.

CLASSIC CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Start by making the clam broth: Put a large pot over medium heat, add the bacon and saute until the fat is rendered and the bacon is browned, about 5 minutes. Remove the cooked bacon pieces from the pot and reserve them for something else. Add a 1-count of olive oil, the onion, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the clams, lemon juice, white wine, and water and bring to a low boil. Reduce the heat, cover the pot, and simmer for 10 or 15 minutes to steam open the clams. Remove the clams from the pot, discarding any that don't open. Strain the broth into a bowl. Pull the clams out of their shells, chop them, and set them aside separately; discard the shells. Set the broth aside.
• Heat the butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the bacon, onion, garlic, and thyme and cook until the bacon renders its fat and the vegetables are good and soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Dust the vegetables with flour and stir to coat everything well. Pour in the clam broth and bring to a boil. Add the cream and the potatoes, bring to a boil and boil hard for about 7 minutes, until the potatoes break down (this will help to thicken the soup and give it a good texture). Add the chopped clams and season with salt and pepper.
• Now add the 16 clams in their shells. Cover and simmer to open the clams, about 10 minutes. Stir in the parsley and serve hot, with the common crackers.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Put the crushed crackers in a bowl, add the oil and melted butter, and toss to coat the crackers with the fat. Spread on a baking sheet and bake until crisp and lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
• Yield: 2 cups
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Inactive Prep Time: none
• Ease of preparation: easy

CLAM CHOWDER III

Steps:

• In a blender, combine onion, garlic and enough water to make a smooth paste. Set aside.
• In a large pot, combine potatoes, celery, salt, pepper, onion mixture and juice from clams. Augment with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are soft, 20 minutes.
• Stir in half-and-half and sugar. Combine melted butter and flour, then whisk into soup. Cook and stir until thickened. Stir in clams and adjust seasonings.

THE BEST CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Put the clams in a large, heavy Dutch oven, add about 4 cups water, then set over medium-high heat. Cover, and cook until clams have opened, approximately 10 to 15 minutes. (Clams that fail to open after 15 to 20 minutes should be discarded.) Strain clam broth through a sieve lined with cheesecloth or doubled-up paper towels, and set aside. Remove clams from shells, and set aside as well.
• Rinse out the pot, and return it to the stove. Add butter, and turn heat to medium-low. Add bacon or salt pork, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fat has rendered and the pork has started to brown, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove pork from fat, and set aside.
• Add the leeks to the fat, and cook, stirring frequently, until they are soft but not brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in potatoes and wine, and continue cooking until wine has evaporated and the potatoes have just started to soften, approximately 5 minutes. Add enough clam broth to just cover the potatoes, approximately 3 cups, reserving the rest for another use. Add the thyme and the bay leaf.
• Partly cover the pot, and simmer gently until potatoes are tender, approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, chop the clams into bits about the size of the bacon dice.
• When potatoes are tender, add cream and stir in chopped clams and reserved bacon. Add black pepper to taste. Let come to a simmer, and remove from heat. (Do not let chowder come to a full boil.) Fish out the thyme and the bay leaf, and discard.
• The chowder should be allowed to sit for a while to cure. Reheat it to a bare simmer before serving, then garnish with chopped parsley. Serve with oyster crackers.

OLD-FASHIONED CLAM CHOWDER

Steps:

• Pick over clams, discarding any with cracked shells or that feel heavy, an indication they are full of mud. Rinse them under cold running water to get rid of surface grit. If clams are very gritty, set them in a bowl with brine solution and keep cool, or refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.
• Drain clams, and place in a large, heavy soup kettle; add about 1/2 inch water to kettle, and set over medium heat. Cook, uncovered, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until all clams have opened. As they open, remove them from kettle and set aside. (Any clams that fail to open after 10 to 15 minutes should be discarded.) Strain clam liquor through several layers of cheesecloth into a 2-cup measuring cup, and set aside. Remove clams from shells, and set aside.
• Rinse out soup kettle and return to stove top. Add salt pork, pancetta or bacon dice and 1 tablespoon butter, and cook slowly over medium-low heat until dice brown a little on edges. Use a slotted spoon to remove dice from fat. Set aside.
• Add onions to fat and cook, stirring frequently, until soft but not brown. Stir in potatoes, and continue cooking another 5 minutes, until potatoes begin to soften. Add enough water to clam liquor in measuring cup to make 2 cups; pour this over potatoes. Add black pepper and bay leaves.
• Simmer gently, partially covered, until potatoes are tender. Add whole milk and simmer again. Stir in clams and evaporated milk or cream, stirring gently so as not to break open clam bellies. Taste, and add salt if necessary. Let come just to a simmer, and remove from heat. (Do not let chowder come to a full boil.)
• Chowder can be set in a cool place for several hours to develop flavors. Reheat to a simmer (do not let boil), then stir in chives or parsley and remaining butter just before serving. Pass common crackers at the table if you wish.

CONTEST-WINNING NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER

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.