Homemade Manhattan Clam Chowder Recipe

Homemade Manhattan Clam Chowder is easy to make and a lot less expensive than buying it at your favorite seafood restaurant. You'll love this delicious recipe.

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

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Manhattan Clam Chowder is easy to make and a lot less expensive than ordering out at your favorite seafood restaurant. Once you get the basic soup-making skills down, the world is your oyster, or at least your clam.

Finding fresh clams has got increasingly easier these days, just make sure you buy them from a reputable source. If you get them from supermarkets the one thing you need to remember is not to close them up in a plastic bag when you’re buying them, clams need to breathe. And if clams are open, they’re dead and you don’t want to eat them. I would also be wary if there is a strong odor coming from the clams, while it could just be just one stray clam stinking up the whole bunch, you need to be careful. Its natures way of telling you to find something else to eat.

Of course, frozen clams are becoming easier to find as well, and they’re a much safer source. Not quite fresh clams but a very good alternative, especially if you live in the middle of the country. And if all else fails there are always canned chopped clams, as well as bottled clam juice to fortify your chowder. I usually get enough liquid out of my fresh clams that I don’t need to buy juice, but if you’re using frozen you might want a bottle to add to the flavor.

Of course, being able to shop at Restaurant Depot, I not only can buy fresh clams all year long in Florida they sell pasta clams in bags of 300. For two people that’s a lot of clams! We usually enjoy pasta and clams a few nights, and if I’m not in a soup-making mood I cook off the rest of the clams and save them and the broth to make soups with. Lisa has no problem with eating clams frequently since its one of her favorites, and although New England Chowder is her favorite these days I’d rather have a bowl of a hearty Manhattan Style Clam Chowder without the extra fat from the butter and cream. And we can all benefit from eating healthier with recipes that are delicious without the added calories.

If you liked this soup recipe you may also like these:

• Cream of Broccoli with Roasted Tomatoes
• Italian Wedding Soup with Tortellini 
• Lobster Chowder
• Sausage and Bean Minestra

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5 from 2 votes

Manhattan Clam Chowder

Homemade Manhattan Clam Chowder is easy to make and a lot less expensive than buying it at your favorite seafood restaurant. You'll love this delicious recipe.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time50 mins

Total Time1 hr 5 mins

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chowder recipe, clam chowder

Servings: 6

Calories: 143kcal

Author: Chef Dennis Littley

Ingredients

• 2 slices thick cut bacon or your favorite bacon
• 2 large carrots diced
• 4 stalks stalks celery diced
• 1 medium onion
• 2 medium potatoes diced- skin on or off your choice
• 1 16 ounce diced tomatoes (canned)
• 2 cups freshly steamed clams with broth about 60 pasta clams
• 1 quart chicken broth or vegetable broth
• 1/2 teaspoon of thyme
• sea salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley

Instructions

• In a large sauce pot, fry the bacon over medium-low heat until the fat renders and the bacon gets a little crispy, about 5 to 7 minutes.
• Add the onion, carrot and celery, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 7-10 minutes.
• Add chicken stock , tomatoes and potatoes, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 30 minutes.
• Remove the pot from heat, stir in clams and season with sea salt and pepper to taste
• Add in chopped parsley and serve with your favorite crusty bread

Nutrition

Calories: 143kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 778mg | Potassium: 767mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 4255IU | Vitamin C: 30.2mg | Calcium: 83mg | Iron: 3.8mg