Best Clam Chowder Recipe | Creamy Homemade Seafood Soup Comfort
A creamy New England-style clam chowder with smoky bacon, tender potatoes, and briny clams in a velvety broth. Simple techniques keep the soup silky and the clams tender.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- Bacon, 4–6 slices, diced
- Unsalted butter, 2 tablespoons
- Yellow onion, 1 medium, finely chopped
- Celery, 2 ribs, finely chopped
- Garlic, 3 cloves, minced
- All-purpose flour, 3 tablespoons
- Clam juice, 2 cups (from bottles or reserved from canned clams)
- Low-sodium chicken stock or seafood stock, 2 cups
- Bay leaf, 1
- Fresh thyme, 2 teaspoons chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried)
- Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, 1.5 pounds, peeled and diced 1/2-inch
- Heavy cream, 1 cup
- Whole milk, 1 cup
- Canned chopped clams, 3 cans (6.5 ounces each), drained with juice reserved
- Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon
- Fresh parsley, 2 tablespoons, chopped
- Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
- Optional finishers: hot sauce, oyster crackers, chives
- Fresh littleneck clams, 2 pounds (optional fresh clam option), scrubbed
- Water or dry white wine, 1 cup (for steaming fresh clams, optional)
Instructions
Instructions
- Add diced bacon to a large heavy pot over medium heat and cook until crisp and the fat renders, 6–8 minutes, then transfer bacon to a plate and leave about 2 tablespoons fat in the pot.
- Add butter, then stir in onion and celery with a pinch of salt and cook until soft and translucent, about 5–6 minutes; add garlic and cook 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Sprinkle in flour and stir constantly for 1–2 minutes to form a light roux and cook off the raw flour taste.
- Slowly whisk in clam juice and stock to avoid lumps, then add the bay leaf and thyme and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Stir in diced potatoes and simmer uncovered at a gentle bubble until tender but not falling apart, about 12–15 minutes, adjusting heat to maintain a soft simmer.
- Reduce heat to low, stir in heavy cream and milk, and gently simmer 3–5 minutes without boiling until slightly thickened.
- Stir in chopped clams, Worcestershire sauce, half the bacon, and half the parsley, and warm through for 1–2 minutes; season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Adjust consistency with a splash of stock or milk for a looser chowder or simmer briefly to thicken.
- Ladle into warm bowls and top with remaining bacon and parsley, adding chives, hot sauce, and oyster crackers if desired.
- Optional fresh clam variation: Steam scrubbed littleneck clams in 1 cup water or dry white wine until just opened, strain the liquid through a towel-lined sieve, chop the clam meat, and use the strained liquid in place of some clam juice before folding in the chopped clams at the end.
Notes
Keep heat low after adding dairy to prevent splitting and graininess. Cut potatoes uniformly so they cook evenly. Season at the end since bacon, clam juice, and stock are salty. For make-ahead, cook through simmering the potatoes, then add dairy and clams when reheating. For gluten-free, replace flour with 1.5 tablespoons cornstarch mixed into cold milk and add during the dairy step. For a lighter version, use half-and-half; for dairy-free, use full-fat coconut milk with seafood stock and finish with lemon. Store refrigerated up to 3 days; reheat gently without boiling.