My 5 star rating comes with a caveat. After reading several reviews complaining about a)the potatoes not being thoroughly cooked enough, b) it was too watery, and c) it wasn't "clammy" enough, I made the following modifications to the recipe:
1) Rather than cooking the potatoes uncovered, I covered them. Even doing so required a full 20 minutes to soften the potatoes, and
2) Rather than throw out half of the clam juice, I added it all. But not before I put 2 tablespoons of flour in it for thickening. After adding, I brought it back to a boil and stirred until "the desired thickness was acheived"
My wife, a New England clam chowder aficionado (I prefer Manhattan-style) proclaimed it to be the best she's ever had. SCORE!!
Reading the reviews before making this recipe I made the following changes: I used bottled clam juice instead of the water (1 ½ cups); 2 cups half-and-half and one-cup heavy cream instead of 3 cups half-and-half, and 3 - 10oz. cans of clams. The other adjustment I made was to use 1-cup ham instead of bacon as I find that bacon gets to soggy in soups, the ham is a perfect substitute and give the soup a bit more bite.
I was looking forward to this recipe and followed it exactly. I made no changes and was very disappointed with how it turned out. The soup was very watery and had an unusual texture. I also think it was just a tad bit too chunky for my tastes (cook the potatoes longer?). I plan on looking for additional clam chowder recipes to try and leave this one alone.
Wonderful chowder with a couple of minor modifications to suit our preferences. I appreciate you posting this recipe as I'd never made a creamy chowder before, and needed a good, basic guideline & procedure to follow. I cooked the chopped onions and diced bacon in a few tablespoons of melted butter, then added a couple of tablespoons of flour thus creating a roux. Otherwise, I followed the recipe, but omitted water and substituted more clam juice instead, doubled the potatoes. After the potatoes were cooked through in the clam juice, I reduced the heat to a low simmer, then I added twice the amount of clams (I used half minced clams and half chopped clams), and used 1 quart half & half with about a pint of heavy cream. I stirred it often making sure the cream wasn't allowed to boil. I threw in a couple of tablespoons of dried parsely, and a couple of teaspoons of dried dill weed. I served this at a potluck with fresh french bread, and got huge raves, and lots of recipe requests. Thank you!!! 07/15/2012: Made this again last night...just delicious! I've found that precooking the bacon til crisp then adding to the roux of butter, onions and flour makes a huge difference. Also, replacing all water with clam juice adds great flavor.
Great base for Clam Chowder! I like my clam chowder a little soupy but chunky so I used equal parts water clam juice and 2% milk (1 and 1/2 cups) and I also left out the bacon to keep it light. To thicken I added 2 tablespoons of flour to the sauté of onions celery and butter to make a roux. I let the clams (2 cans of minced and 1 chopped) warm on the stove in a separate pot with the clam juice and water. Then I added the clams with liquid to the roux. Brought to a boil and added the milk and partially cooked cubed potatoes. I used Oregano and a little garlic; it was a huge hit!
A good start for chowder base. I use salt pork rather than bacon. I only use clam broth and begin by cooking a couple of potatoes till mushy to give the broth some thickness. A real New England Clam Chowder NEVER thickens with flour or cornstarch. That will change the flavor and texture completely. Light cream and freshly ground pepper are added to the hot chowder just before adding the clams. I have never used canned clams but I'm sure they are similar to fresh. I don't trust a chowder that "you can stand a spoon in". I make a simiar corn chowder with chicken broth and celery when the corn is fresh and plentiful.
I've been making a clam chowder recipe very much like this for years (Mom's recipe) but decided to give this one a try instead. I loved the addition of the bacon however I prefer Mom's way of boiling the potatoes in a seperate pot and then adding them to the 1/2 & 1/2 (without the water). It makes for a much creamier chowder. This was excellent though the only changes I made were to use 3 cans of whole baby clams and to thicken it a little with some cold water/flour. Thanks for the recipe!
Great recipe. Instead of 3 cups of half and half, I used 1 pint (2 cups) of half and half and one cup of 2% milk. Also, I used clam juice instead of water, and stirred a bit of corn starch at the end to thicken it up. My mother who hates clams even loved it!!!
I used two 6 & 1/2 oz cans of clams & reserved the juice from both...using clam juice & a very rich homemade chicken broth instead of water. I used Old Bay instead of salt & since I used baby yukons I just scrubbed them really well instead of peeling them. I also gave them a light mash before adding the half & half. That helps thicken up the soup w/out adding flour or cornstarch. I was out of half & half so I used half heavy cream & half 2% organic milk. Served it w/ garlic breadsticks...yum yum!
