Homemade Manhattan Clam Chowder Recipe

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.

For years delicious soups were a regular fixture in homes across America, but with the modern age of convenience, many homemade foods fell by the wayside. It became a lot easier to open a can than prepare the ingredients you needed to make a soup.

It’s not like making soup is rocket science. In the days of home cooking, soups were made from leftovers. Even restaurants used soups to use up leftover ingredients. And talented cooks, at home or in a restaurant knew what to add to make a soup a meal.

My Manhattan Clam Chowder is definitely a meal and really only takes about 20 minutes to prep.

What ingredients do I need to make Manhattan Clam Chowder?

Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make Manhattan Clam Chowder. In Chef Speak this is called the Mise en Place which translates into Everything in its Place.

Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed the cooking process, but it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.

WHAT KIND OF CLAMS SHOULD I BUY?

Little Neck clams are most often the type of clams you’ll find in supermarkets. This size clam is generally used in pasta dishes such as clams and spaghetti. And that’s because the larger the clam gets, the tougher and chewier it will be.,

A lot of supermarkets also carry Middle Necks (pictured above), Top Necks or Cherrystone.

• Pasta Necks (or Spaghetti clams) –  smaller than Little Necks, they are tender and easy to digest. Their delicate flavor goes well in light sauces, pasta or rice dishes.
• Little Neck – small and tender they are usually steamed open or eaten on the half shell. Also good for pasta dishes.
• Middle Neck – rich, firm-textured meat has a salty and slightly sweet flavor. Great for steaming in a garlic sauce and for soups.
• Top Neck – typically eaten raw on the half shell, grilled open or as a baked clam appetizer such as clams casino or deviled clams.
• Cherrystone –  eaten raw or most often used for baked clam appetizers such as clams casino or deviled clams.
• Chowder – the largest and toughest hard clams, usually winding up in chowders.

If you don’t see them ask the seafood person if the larger clams can be ordered.

Chef Dennis Tip:

If fresh 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.

The first step is steaming the clams you’ll be using for the soup. Add one cup of water to a large pot over medium heat. Add the clams and cover. Steam the clams for 8-10 minutes or until they steam open.

**Don’t let the clams cook longer than it takes to steam open.

Do I have to use Fresh Clams to make Clam Chowder?

No you don’t. Frozen clams are also an option, although with just the clam meat, you’ll have to buy clam juice to add to the soup.

While they’re not quite the same as fresh clams, frozen is good alternative. Especially if you live in the middle of the country. And if all else fails there’s always canned chopped clams and clam broth.

**Use 8-10 ounces of frozen clams in making this soup

How do I make Manhattan Clam Chowder?

The first step is steaming the clams you’ll be using for the soup. Add one cup of water to a large pot over medium heat. Add the clams and cover. Steam the clams for 8-10 minutes or until they steam open.

**Don’t let the clams cook longer than it takes to steam open.

Once the clams have steamed open, remove them from the stove and allow to cool until you can safely handle the clams.

When the clams have sufficiently cooled, remove the meat from the shells. Don’t remove the little mussel that holds the clam to the shell, it will be tough and chewy.

**Discard the shells but make sure to save all the juice from the steamed clams.

Chops the clams into small pieces and refrigerate until needed.

In a 4- 6 quart soup pot cook the bacon until almost done (about 5-6 minutes). Reduce the heat to medium and add the onions, celery and carrots and continue cooking for 7-10 minutes.

The next step is adding the stock, tomatoes, potatoes and thyme. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer. Let chowder simmer for one hour.

**Skim the oil off the top of the soup and discard

After the soup has simmered for an hour, add in the clams. Bring the chowder back to a boil, then reduce heat back to a simmer.

Serve this hearty soup with crusty bread and watch the smiles at your table! There’s nothing a like a good soup to warm your body and your soul.

MORE RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE!

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