Classic Manhattan Clam Chowder filled with fresh clams, vegetables, potatoes, and bacon in a light and flavorful tomato-based broth. Perfect with a side of crusty bread.
Considerably lighter and healthier than its cream-based cousin from New England, Manhattan clam chowder is perfect for anyone who loves seafood and tomatoes. Brimming with bacon, clams, and veggies, this soup is rich and comforting without feeling heavy- plus, it’s super easy to make! Delicious up to 4 days after cooking, enjoy leftovers with a side of crusty bread for dunking or sprinkled with a generous handful of oyster crackers.
Manhattan Vs. New England Clam Chowder
Manhattan clam chowder (aka red chowder) has a red, tomato-based broth, while (modern) New England clam chowder (aka white chowder) is cream-based, thicker, and contains no tomatoes. Manhattan clam chowder typically contains more veggies like onion, carrots, and celery (mirepoix) and is often seasoned with thyme.
Shared ingredients between the two include, onions, potatoes, black pepper, and, of course, clams.
Key Ingredients
- Clams: Although this recipe uses fresh clams (quahog, littleneck, or cherrystone) they can easily be swapped for canned clams. Please see section below for more information.
- Salted Pork (optional): Adds flavor from the rendered fat. This recipe uses bacon, as it’s convenient and readily available. Other options include slab bacon or salt pork (salted and cured unsmoked pork fat and meat). For best results, cook your pork low and slow. This allows the fat to render completely without burning.
- Vegetables: This recipe includes he classic French combination of diced onion, carrot, and celery (mirepoix) plus green bell pepper. They are cooked low and slow in the rendered bacon fat and a little olive oil.
- Potatoes: Yukon golds, baby potatoes, or red potatoes are your best bet for clam chowder. Peeling is optional.
- Aromatics and Seasoning: The key additions are fresh garlic, fresh thyme, black pepper, salt, and a bay leaf.
- Tomatoes: I like to make this soup with canned tomatoes. Feel free to use crushed, diced, or whole, peeled canned tomatoes.
- Clam broth: In this case, we’re using the broth that is leftover from steaming the clams. Although you could use water, chicken, or vegetable broth as a substitute, I don’t recommend it.
*Find the printable recipe with measurements in the recipe card below.
Fresh Clam Substitution
You can make this recipe using fresh clams (I used littleneck clams), canned clams, or a mixture of each. If you plan to use fresh clams, follow the recipe instructions as outlined. If you plan to use canned clams,
- Replace the homemade reserved clam broth with 2 (14-ounce) bottles or cans of store-bought clam juice/broth. This equals 3.75 cups. Add an additional 3-4 cups of water.
- Replace the 5 pounds of littleneck clams with 2 (10-ounce) cans of baby clams (reserving the juice). If you like your chowder extra meaty/clammy, add an extra can.
How to Make Manhattan Clam Chowder: Step-By-Step Instructions
1. Clean the clams. Only use clams that are tightly closed and avoid those with broken shells. This indicates they are fresh. To clean, rinse the clams under cold water to remove any loose sand and grit from the shells. Optional, soak the clams in a mixture of cold water and salt (roughly 1/3 cup of salt per gallon of water) for about 20-30 minutes. The clams will naturally expel sand and grit. Carefully remove the clams from the water and rinse them again under cold water.
2. Steam the clams. Place the clams in a large stockpot or Dutchoven filled with about 6-8 cups of water. Cover and boil for about 15 minutes or until their shells open. As the clams open, remove them from the pot to prevent them from overcooking. Any clams that do not open should be discarded.
3. Strain the broth. Strain the clam broth through a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth. Reserve the broth, then remove the clam meat from their shells. Set aside.
4. Cook the bacon. Transfer the chopped bacon to a cold Dutch oven. Turn the heat to medium-low heat and allow the bacon to cook slowly. Stir occasionally so that the bacon cooks evenly. Cook until the fat is rendered and the bacon is crisp. Remove the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels and set it aside. Reserve about 3 tablespoons of bacon grease.
5. Soften the vegetables. Return the pot to medium heat. Add the olive oil, onions, celery, carrots, and bell pepper. Mix well to combine and cook until softened, but not browned, approximately 10-15 minutes (reduce heat to medium-low if needed).
6. Add the potatoes and garlic. Continue to cook for an additional 7-10 minutes, or until the potatoes start to soften.
7. Add the tomatoes and broth. Add the bay leaf, tomatoes, and reserved clam broth (start with 6 cups and add more as needed/desired). Mix well and add fresh thyme.
8. Simmer. Increase the heat to high and bring to a low boil. Cover and immediately reduce heat to low. Simmer, gently, for at least 15 minutes. Add additional broth, if needed. To thicken the broth, smash a few potatoes against the side of the pot using a wooden spoon.
9. Return the clams and bacon to the pot. In the last 5 minutes of cooking, add the clams and bacon to the pot. Oovercooking the clams will make them rubbery.
10. Season and serve. Remove from heat and season with salt and black pepper to taste. Remove the bay leaf and discard. Serve garnished with fresh chopped parsley, if desired.
How to Thicken Manhattan Clam Chowder
Manhattan-style clam chowder is not intended to be thick and creamy, however, you can make the broth less watery by smashing a few potatoes against the side of the pot to help release their starches, naturally “thickening” the soup. You may also add a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste.
Storage
Leftover Manhattan clam chowder should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You may actually find that it tastes even better the next day, once the flavors have had enough time to meld together. While you can freeze this soup, keep in mind that there may be texture changes to the potatoes and clams after thawing and reheating. For best results, freeze leftovers for no more than 2-3 months.
Love seafood? You’ll love San Francisco’s favorite Cioppino, and classic French Bouillabaisse.
RECIPE CARD
Manhattan Clam Chowder
Ingredients
- 5 pounds clams - Littleneck, Quahog, or Cherrystone clams (see notes)
- 6-8 cups water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ pound bacon
- 3 tablespoon reserved bacon grease - see notes
- 2 small onions - diced
- 5 carrots - peeled and chopped
- 4 stalks celery - chopped
- 1 green bell pepper - seeds removed and diced
- 5 small Yukon gold potatoes (or other waxy potato) - cut into 2-inch chunks (peeling is optional)
- 4 cloves garlic - minced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, or whole peeled tomatoes, chopped
- 6 cups reserved clam broth
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
- salt + pepper - to taste
Instructions
- Rinse the clams under cold running water and transfer them to a large stockpot or heavy-bottomed Dutch oven. Fill with approximately 6-8 cups of water, cover, and set over medium-high heat. Cook until the clams have opened, approximately 20 minutes or so. Discard any clams that fail to open within that time.
- Strain the clam broth through a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth. Set the broth aside (we'll be using it later). Once the clams are cool enough to handle, remove the clams from their shells and set them aside (you may wish to keep a handful of clams inside their shells for a somewhat fancier presentation when serving).
- Rinse out the pot/ Dutch oven that was used to cook the clams and set it over medium heat. Add the olive oil and bacon. Cook the bacon until starting to brown and the fat has rendered, approximately 5 minutes or so. Remove bacon from the pot and set it aside on a clean plate lined with paper towels.
- Reserve about 3 tablespoons of bacon grease and discard the rest (or save for something else later).
- Still set over medium heat, add the onions, carrots, celery, and green bell pepper to the reserved bacon grease. Mix well to combine and cook until softened, but not browned, approximately 10-15 minutes (reduce heat to medium-low if needed).
- Mix in the diced potatoes and garlic. Continue to cook until the potatoes just start to soften, about 7-10 minutes.
- Add the bay leaf, tomatoes, and reserved clam broth (start with 6 cups and add more as needed/desired). Mix well and add fresh thyme.
- Increase heat to high and bring to a low boil. Cover and immediately reduce heat to low. Simmer, gently, for at least 15 minutes or so. Add additional broth, if needed. You may also smash a few potatoes against the side of the pot using a wooden spoon to helps thicken the broth.
- As the soup simmers, chop the clams and the bacon into small pieces. Add to the pot and continue to simmer for an additional 5 minutes
- Remove from heat and season with salt and black pepper to taste. Remove the bay leaf and discard. Serve garnished with fresh chopped parsley, if desired.
Jessica’s Notes
- Replace the 5 pounds of littleneck clams with 2 (10-ounce) cans of baby clams (reserving the juice). If you like your chowder extra meaty/clammy, add an extra can.
- Replace the homemade reserved clam broth with 2 (14-ounce) bottles or cans of store-bought clam juice/broth. This equals 3.75 cups. Add an additional 3-4 cups of water.
Nutritional Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.)
It came out great! I felt it was missing something so I added a bit of curry powder and that made it perfect.