B C Ferries Manhattan Clam Chowder for First Class Passengers

Beautiful BC's Note:

In British Columbia, Canada, the Ferries that travel the beautiful trip between the Mainland and Vancouver Island, are famous for their "Manhattan" styled Clam Chowder. In the small village by Horseshoe Bay terminal, one of the little bistro's has it's own kicked up version. This is my copycat version of their version! NOTE - this is on the spicy/hot side so if you aren't a fan of that, don't add the red pepper flakes. Serve up with a crusty white artisan bread and a crisp, dry white wine. May I recommend BC's Sonoma Ranch Pinot Grigio.

• Total Time: 55 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 6 slices smoked bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1/2 cup onion, cut in half and then into slivers
• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup celery, sliced
• 1/4 cup green pepper, chopped
• 1/4 cup carrot, chopped into 1 inch lengths and then into lengthwise slivers
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 cups Clamato juice
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 (4 ounce) can green chilies, diced
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/4-12 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon thyme, dried
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• salt, to taste (optional)
• 1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup potato, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 2 (8 ounce) cans baby clams, with juice

Directions:

1. In a large pot, saute bacon until crispy. Remove bacon and set on paper towel to remove excess fat. Remove and discard all but 2 Tbsp of bacon fat from pot.
2. Add garlic and onions and saute until translucent, about 1 minute. Add celery, green pepper and carrots. Saute for about 2 minutes until tender. Add flour and stir until mixed in and browned - about 2 minutes.
3. Add wine and stir until bits cooked onto bottom loosen up.
4. Add Clamato juice and tomato paste;stir well.
5. Add green chili's, red pepper flakes, black pepper, Worcestershire and dried thyme. Mix well.
6. Add can of diced tomatoes and potatoes. Simmer 20 minutes, Stirring occasionally.
7. Add baby clams with juice and bacon pieces. Simmer 15 minutes stirring occasionally.
8. Ladle into bowls and serve immediately. Add salt to taste if wanted.

Reviews

[Maito]

This was a really excellent thick clam chowder. I think the green chillies are the secret ingredient. The bacon (I used half) and (fire roasted) tomatoes made it really smoky. I left the red pepper flakes out so it would not be too spicy, and made my own clamato. I also added a bit more veggies and the juice of one lemon. Delicious, a definite new favorite!

[LittleRedChef]

Very delicious. I've been craving Manhattan Clam Chowder for awhile and this was quite satisfying. I made some modifications to make it gluten-free, using rice flour, and because I couldn't find Clamato juice. I found a recipe for Clamato juice online and it was quite easy to do using readily available ingredients from my cupboard. I also added a bottle of clam juice and a bit more clams than the recipe called for to ramp up the flavor since I already had them in the pantry. Yummy. There wasn't a drop left over.

[2Bleu]

This is very flavorful chowder that I made as directed but scaled it down to 2 servings and used red bell pepper in lieu of the green. I did enjoy this as it has lots of flavor, but did not care for the heat it has from the crushed red pepper and green chilis. Chef #754645 (on the other hand) loved it with the heat (he's a fire-eater when it comes to food). This is a very good clam chowder recipe similar to Manhattan style, but with a kick. Thanks for sharing.