With some recipes, I struggle for years to get them right before I’ll blog about them. This is one of those recipes.
I have a postcard from “Bahston” that I’ve saved for 30 years (I went to boarding school in Massachusetts) with a recipe on it. Tried that. Nope, not quite right. I’ve tried adding lobster. Definite nope! I’ve tried moving the chowder from pot to pot and making a big mess. Double nope. I’ve tried adding bacon and vegetables. Nope, nope, nope.
Back to those boarding school years: I have very happy memories of getting a big bowl of New England clam chowder in the Boston airport—that was the taste of school happiness for me. It was the taste of the road to freedom and the road back home. Over the years, it’s become one of my favorite soups, one I almost always order whenever I see it on the menu. But when I tried to make it at home, I couldn’t get that thick creamy texture or the clean and simple taste.
If I’d only known it would only take about 15 minutes to make right…DOH! But at least this time I did it. And here is the secret… (Find more secrets in my new cookbook Scratch! It’s packed with 200+ fun, foolproof recipes you’re going to love. Check it out!)
Quick, Thick, and Creamy New England Clam Chowder from Scratch
Ingredients:
- 1 pound clams, chopped (fresh or frozen; for this recipe, I only had a bag of frozen whole clams)
- 12 Tablespoons butter (it’s a lot, but it’s worth it; you can try cutting back if you want to)
- 6 cups whole milk
- 2 heaping Tablespoons white flour
- 2 large russet potatoes
- Salt
Directions:
1. In a soup pot, make a roux* with 2 tablespoons of butter and 1 heaping tablespoon of flour. (*Basically, melt the butter, add the flour, and stir until it all mixes together.)
2. Add 8 tablespoons of butter (a stick) to the pot and melt until bubbly.
3. Add the clams and cook for about 5 minutes. Mine were frozen, so I cooked them for 6 minutes until they thawed.
4. Wash, peel, and chop the potatoes into tiny cubes (the tinier they are, the faster they’ll cook) then add them to the pot.
5. Add the milk and cook for another 5 minutes—it’s OK to let it boil!
6. In a separate, smaller pan, melt the remaining butter and add a tablespoon of flour, and mix.
7. Add this mixture to the gently boiling chowder in the soup pot, and stir—that is what thickens it up REAL GOOD!
8. Add salt and pepper to taste and devour with saltines or chowder biscuits, which are next on my learn-to-make list.
So simple, so easy, so delicious!
Maria I can’t wait to make this recipe! I’ve never tried making clam chowder before. Thanks for doing all the legwork so I didn’t have to 🙂
it’s also really good if you put a little celery in it and substitute a can of cream of celery soup for some of the milk. We even put cream in ours.
You wanted to make some clam chowder.
Sounds like my very best “go to” recipe for chowder. My add is: Before adding the clams (sorry, I had to use canned), saute one whole chopped onion. Before adding the final thickening (butter/flour), I drop in 1 or two bottles of clam juice. Wow!! That really adds to the flavor.
I only make this during the winter, but it never lasts more than 2 days. Enjoy.
I like cooking chopped onions in butter and adding them
I followed the recipe and it came out great! Easy! Thanks
I followed it as well..first I dug the clams this morning ” killing time waiting for the game to come on” (Patriots” who are 8-0 by the way )
I added celery , onion & a few chunks of chopped up garlic cloves
OMG is it good it thickened up so nice granted traditional New England clam chowder is more of a watery base chowda, however… i like this way much better
Seeing as the word clam refers to many different kinds, what kind of clam should be used?
Easy to make & VERY GOOD! Yes, add a bit of onion (sauteed or grilled to bring out the flavor). Also a good base recipe for potato soup – leave out the clams add more potatoes, onions or leeks and mushrooms, herbs etc. So glad I (and my born in New England siblings) found this site! THANKS MARIA!!!
To jasmin,
It doesn’t matter what kind of clam any works. I used fresh big ones that I got at revere beach in Massachusetts. Razor clams, soft shell or the others kinds all work very well. Definitely making it again.??????
I am too old to do a Blog and my Smartphone is smarter than I am. This is a large recipe or batch of New England Clam Chowder for a large family of 8 or guest. My family and neighbors would not forgive me if I forget them when I make Clam Chowder. I grew up in Huntington Beach on the Pacific coast and always went to the Long Beach pier off of Pacific Coast Highway to get my clams and fresh seafood. However, I moved to the Utah mountains and raised six children, where there is nothing but fresh Brine Shrimp available. I do often look at the other cook’s recipes to get new ideas, but I’ve not found a better one for Clam Chowder. I’m afraid my family, friends and neighbors would re-bell if I changed the recipe on them. You could say it’s basically the same except for the bacon and the Half and Half, but to have it turn out great, it’s the process how you’re making it.
So, here’s my Mother’s recipe to try. Trust me, It’s so GOOD.
*Fry up 1 pound of bacon to a crispy brown with no fat ( Just until it can break into little pieces) and place on a paper towel to absorb the grease. (Do not microwave or air fry it.) When cool, break bacon into little pieces. Set aside 1/2 cup of the bacon pieces to sprinkle on as a garnish, if someone desires.
*Peel 7 to 8 medium sized Russet potatoes and cut into small cubes.
*Cut 1 medium onion into small cubes and put it in a large soup Pot on medium low heat with 2 Tsp of butter (not margarine) and cook until wilted (not brown) and stirring often.
*Add the potatoes in the Pot with the onions.
*Add enough water to cover the potatoes, then add an extra 1 & 1/2 cup of water.
*Add 2 cans of Minced Clams, plus the fluid in the cans. I use Snow’s. The clams will not be chewy if they cook with the potatoes from the start, fresh or canned.
*Add the bacon, (except for the 1/2 cup garnish bacon). The bacon will also not be chewy if it is cooked with the potatoes from the start.
*Add 1/4 tsp. of minced garlic.
*Add 1 Tbsp of parsley.
*Add 2 Tsp of salt.
*Add 1/2 tsp pepper.
*Bring to a boil, then simmer, until potatoes are soft. About half an hour to 45 minutes. Stir often scraping the bottom of the Pot to keep the bacon from sticking.
It all blends together perfectly. Remember, it’s basically the same ingredients Just not the same process. That’s what makes it great Boston Clam Chowder.
*Add 1 quart of Half & Half and bring it back to a soft boil.
*Make your Roux with 1 and 1/2 cube of melted butter and 2/3 cup of flour.
Blend well and simmer on low for 2 minutes, stirring often. (This will keep your Chowder from having a flour taste) With the Chowder at a soft boil, stir Roux into Chowder and stir until it starts to thicken. Once you turn off the burner it will continue to thicken. If you get it to thick, add milk just a little at a time.
There you go! It’s awesome in a bread bowl. If you have left overs, pour it over some air fried french fries. You’ll love it.