Homemade New England Clam Chowder with Fresh Clams
Homemade New England Clam Chowder with Fresh Clams isrich, creamy, and indulgent. This recipe is restaurant-quality but surprisinglyeasy to make at home (hello leftovers!) to keep you cozy on the cool nightsahead.
Ingredients
- 4-5 dozen Little or Middle Neck Clams (or similar) see notes below/in post
- 1 tbsp butter
- 4-5 slices thick cut bacon
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- 2-3 large carrots peeled and chopped
- 6-8 garlic cloves minced, divided
- 1 1/2 cup dry white wine divided
- 32 oz chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 tbsp ground thyme
- 1 tbsp ground oregano
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes optional
- 1 bay leaf
- 3-4 Russet potatoes peeled, chopped
- 1/2 cup corn
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley divided
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- In a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat, melt butter.
- Add bacon and cook through according to package directions.
- Remove bacon to a plate lined with paper towels.
- Add onion and carrot to bacon grease and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add ¾ of your garlic and cook 1-2 more.
- Stir in ½ cup white wine and deglaze the pan, stirring well.
- Pour in chicken broth.
- Bring to a boil then stir in spices, potatoes and corn.
- Turn heat down to simmer for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile in a large skillet with high sides, heat olive oil.
- Add rest of garlic and cook 1-2 minutes.
- Stir in rest of wine and bring to simmer. Add parsley and stir.
- Turn down heat (or remove from heat) to add clams to skillet.
- Once added, cover and cook over medium-high heat for 8 minutes or until open.
- Clams should all open, discard any that didn't.
- Stir cream into stockpot. Bring to simmer for 5 minutes. See note.
- Adjust spice as needed.
- Remove some (or all) clams from shells and chop into small pieces. Add to pot with some clams still in shell. Add juice from cooking clams to pot as well. Simmer a few more minutes or until desired consistency.
- Serve topped with bacon and fresh parsley.
Notes
Preparing fresh clams:
- Make sure to buy them from a place you trust with meat and seafood. I stick to grocery stores and seafood specialty stores that frequently sell a large variety of seafood (not just the most common types), as they tend to know best how to handle and store clams and they’re usually the freshest. I actually got these from Costco, and they were the best quality clams I’ve purchased in Ohio! If you live far from the coast, call ahead, and make sure they have them available at your store. Like I mentioned though, I live in Ohio and have never had an issue buying them.
- When you’re looking at clams in the store, make sure they’re not completely wrapped in plastic. They should be secured in a net with holes allowing the clams to breathe (because if you didn’t know, they are alive). If they have plastic wrapping over them, there should be holes to allow for this. If there’s not, don’t purchase them. The plastic will suffocate them. Costco did have plastic over the net, but the side was left open and they were fine. If you’re purchasing them at the seafood counter, ask for them to be placed on ice and for holes to be poked in the plastic if they don’t prepare them that way.
- Inspect the clams in the store the best you can before purchasing. You want clams that are all completely closed and that don’t have any damage or chipping to their shells. If you see open clams, tap on them. If they close up, they are alive and still good. If they remain open, the clam has already died and is bad. Clams must be kept alive up until you cook them, or they will be bad and can make you sick. If you see a handful of open clams, that’s okay. I’ve never once had a bag where every single one was alive. You’ll simply throw them out. In the bag I purchased from Costco though, I only had a handful of bad ones out of pounds of good ones!
- Once you get them home, remove plastic if there is any and fill a large bowl with some ice. Put the bag of clams on the ice and store in the fridge until you’re ready to prepare them. Eat them the same day you buy them! Second day at most.
- When you’re ready to prepare your clams, start by giving them a saltwater bath. Add some salt to a large bowl then fill with cold water. Remove your clams from their bag and add to the water. If any are clearly dead, discard them. Let sit in the saltwater bath for about 20 minutes. This helps to clean and purify the clams. They’ll release any sand into the bowl. The last thing you want in your Homemade New England Clam Chowder is sandy clams!
- Clean your clams. Remove each one from the saltwater and inspect. If it’s open, tap to see if it closes. If it doesn’t close, discard. If there is damage to the shell, discard. Rinse with cold water. Using a clean sponge, scrub the clams shell to get rid of any sand or debris. The ones I purchased barely had any. They are typically easier to clean than mussels. Place in a bowl until ready to add to your recipe.