That’s the way it should be said if you are anywhere in the vicinity of New England, which is the birthplace of this wonderful clam stew. The word “chowder” is thought to have been derived from “chaudière,” an old French term for cauldron, or a big cooking pot.
What Goes Into Clam Chowder?
Traditionally, chowder is made with salt pork, onions, potatoes, milk or cream, butter, and fish like cod or haddock, or clams. Many of the older recipes add some wine (Madeira) as well. There’s a wonderful website I recommend called The New England Chowder Compendium which showcases a collection of historical chowder recipes dating back to the 1700s. Chowder is one of those things that is made in many different ways, and pretty much everyone thinks their way is best. It’s worth noting that the variations of this stew go back hundreds of years!
Clam Chowder With Corn
On one of my many visits to New England, we sampled clam chowders at practically every stop. The best chowder we had was in a little coffee shop in Concord, Massachusetts. The soup was creamy, but not overly so (some clam chowders can be such cream bombs), thickened a little with flour but not too much, and had tasty chunks of salt pork, along with chopped clams and lots of corn. I loved it! Corn isn’t usually included in clam chowder, but believe me, it’s fabulous. The recipe that follows below is my take on this clam chowder, with plenty of suggestions for substitutions. Even my father, who insists he doesn’t like clam chowder, loved this soup. Consider the recipe a guideline, and play with it to your liking.
What Kind of Clams to Use for Chowder
Clam chowder is best made with fresh clams (quahogs or cherrystones), but if you don’t have access to fresh clams, you can use clam juice and canned chopped clams. If using canned clams, skip steps 1 and 2 of the recipe, and use 16 ounces of clam juice, and 1 1/2 to 2 cups of chopped clams, saving the liquid from the cans to add to the clam juice.
What Can I Substitute for Salt Pork?
Salt pork is traditionally used in chowder; it’s like salty slab bacon that hasn’t been smoked. You can easily substitute it with pancetta or bacon. If you don’t use salt pork, you may need to add more salt to the soup. If you use bacon, you’ll add a smoky note to the soup.
How to Thicken Clam Chowder
In this recipe, I am using a scant one tablespoon of flour to help thicken the soup. Some people prefer their chowder to have a thinner soup base. If that’s you, please feel free to leave out the flour. If you would like your soup to be more thick, add more butter and an equal amount of flour in step 5, up to 1/4 of a cup.
Storing Clam Chowder
Eat your clam chowder within a 1 to 3 days – seafood doesn’t last as long! We do not recommend freezing this soup. How do you like your clam chowder? Please let us know in the comments.
More Great Chowder Recipes
Smoked Salmon Bisque Manhattan Clam Chowder Fish Chowder Salmon Chowder
Salt pork is traditional; it’s like slab bacon that hasn’t been smoked. You can substitute with pancetta or bacon, though bacon will give the soup a smoky flavor. If you don’t use salt pork, you may need to add more salt to the soup. The flour is a thickener. If you are cooking gluten-free or want a thinner consistency to your soup, leave it out. If you want a thicker soup, add more fat and an equal amount of flour, up to 1/4 of a cup. If you want to substitute the white wine in the recipe, use 2 tablespoons white or cider vinegar, or lemon juice instead. Use a slotted spoon to remove the clams from the pot to a bowl. Strain the remaining clam steaming liquid through a fine mesh sieve to catch any grit, and reserve. You should have 2 to 3 cups of clam liquid. Separate the clams from the clam shells. Discard the shells. Roughly chop the cooked clams. You should have 1 1/2 to 2 cups of chopped clams. Add the bay leaf, thyme, black pepper, and Old Bay. Heat to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, then add the corn (if using) and cook for 5 minutes more, or until the potatoes are cooked through. Note that if you simmer the soup after the cream has been added, the soup may curdle. This is why we turn off the heat before adding the hot cream. Serve with oyster crackers or rustic bread.
