Community Pick
Manhattan Clam Chowder

photo by Oliver1010

- Ready In:
- 1hr 45mins
- Ingredients:
- 17
- Yields:
-
13 cups
ingredients
- 4 ounces thick slab bacon, unsliced rind removed and cut into 1/3 inch dice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped (1 tbl)
- 1 large onion, cut into 1/2 inch dice (10 ounces)
- 2 stalks celery, cut into 1/3 inch dice (4 ounces)
- 1 medium green bell pepper, cut into 1/2 inch dice (6 ounces)
- 2 medium carrots, cut into 1/2 inch dice (4 ounces)
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1⁄2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 1⁄2 lbs yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice
- 5 cups clam broth
- 2 cups diced clams
- 1 (28 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes with juice, cut into 1/2 inch dice
- 1⁄4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
- coarse salt
- fresh ground black pepper
directions
- Heat a 4- to 6-quart heavy-bottomed pot over low heat, and add the bacon.
- Once it has rendered a few tablespoons of fat, increase the heat to medium, and cook until the bacon is crisp and golden brown.
- Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat, leaving the bacon in the pot.
- Add the olive oil and garlic, and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the onion, celery, bell pepper, carrots, bay leaves, oregano, and crushed red pepper.
- Sauté, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until vegetables are softened but not browned, 10 to 12 minutes.
- Add the potatoes and clam broth.
- The broth should just barely cover the potatoes; if it doesn‘t, add enough water to cover.
- Increase the heat, bring to a boil, cover, and cook the potatoes vigorously until they are soft on the outside but still firm in the center, about 10 minutes.
- If the broth hasn‘t thickened lightly, smash a few potatoes against the side of the pot, and cook 1 to 2 minutes more to release the starch.
- Add the tomatoes, and simmer 5 minutes more.
- Remove pot from the heat, stir in the diced clams and parsley, and season with black pepper.
- If you are not serving the chowder within the hour, let it cool a bit, then refrigerate; cover the chowder after it has chilled completely.
- Otherwise, let it sit at room temperature for up to 1 hour, allowing the flavor to meld.
- When ready to serve, reheat the chowder over low heat; don‘t let it boil.
- Ladle into cups or bowls, making sure the clams, vegetables, and bacon are evenly divided.
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Reviews
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The ONLY Manhattan Clam Chowder recipe you will need. I can't believe how amazing and how EASY it all came together. I made a few changes, based on reviews and personal preference. Used clam juice. Used the mini potatoes/Ukon Golds, chunky cut. Doubled carrots, 2 a small dice that went into aeromatics, the other 2 chunky as listed. Garlic after the veg had softened, not before (too soon burns it). Used Crushed tomatoes. Omitted bay leaf (don't like them) and subbed 1/4 cup fresh parsely for oregano. Added 2 tsp dry tyme. To keep it brothy (I did a long simmer) I periodically added chicken broth, ended up adding 2/3 of a box. And I tossed in 1/2 cup marsala wine at the last 4 minutes of veg cooking prior to adding liquids. I do that in most soups and stews. I kept the green peppers. I like Manhattan Clam Chowder to have a tang to it. I didn't keep bacon in it, just used the fat, used 3 pieces thick cut peppered bacon. Ate it while the soup cooked. Yum. The base of this recipe was perfect, and I did a heap ton of research before using this as the template. You SO can't go wrong with this one. I'd give it 10 stars if I could.
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Made it exactly as written except doubled it from the suggestion from other reviewers. So glad I did that!! A friend came by to watch football while I was making it and he was impressed. Had to give him some to take home to the family. I noticed there was no picture so i hurried up and took one before it disappeared. I couldn't find clam broth so I used clam juice and some water. I used 1 lb fresh clams (and the juice from them) plus 2 6.5 oz cans of clams (plus their juice).
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Tweaks
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This chowder tastes EXCELLENT and is very easy to prepare! The only changes I made were that I used 1 tablespoon of dried parsley flakes instead of the 1/4 cup fresh parsley, I used 2 tablespoons of pre-rendered bacon fat instead of using the slab bacon and I used regular salt & pepper from my shakers. If you are a Manhattan Clam Chowder lover - You will want to double this recipe!
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
Jeff Hixson
Somerset, Pennsylvania