New England Clam Chowder Recipe

This recipe is for traditional white Clam Chowder, not that wicked awful tomato-based stuff from New York. (Too bad you Yankee fans! I'm from Boston. Go Red Sox!)

Before You Begin

Ingredients

• 480 grams (2 cups) Clams (fresh shucked, canned, or frozen). One 10 oz. can contains about 1 cup of clams. I use the locally available frozen "asari" clams.
• 26 grams (2 slices) Bacon, chopped. A thin slice of bacon weighs 12-14 grams.
• 170 grams (1 cup) Onion (Yellow or Brown), finely chopped. About 1 medium onion.
• 300 grams (2 cups) Potatoes, peeled and cut into small pieces. One medium potato is about 1 cup in volume.
• 5.69 grams (1 tsp) Salt.
• 0.29 grams (1/8 tsp) Black Pepper, fresh ground.
• 480 ml (2 cups) Half-and-Half. You can substitute 1/2 milk and 1/2 light cream, or 3/4 milk and 1/4 heavy cream.
• 28 grams (2 tbsp) Butter (preferably unsalted) or Margarine. You can add salt to taste when you eat the chowder.
• 120 ml (1/2 cup) Clam Juice.
• 240 ml (1 cup) Water.

Preparation

1. Chop the Bacon coarsely and sauté in a large pot until almost crisp.
2. Add the chopped Onion, and cook about 5 minutes.
3. Add cut Potatoes, Salt, Black Pepper, and Water. Simmer uncovered until Potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.
4. Drain clams, reserving the Clam Juice liquid. (If you are using frozen clams, thaw them in a couple of cups of water, but save the water.) Chop the clams coarsely.
5. Add Clams, Clam Juice, the Half-and-Half, and Butter to the pot. Mix well and heat for about 3 minutes. Do not boil.

Serving Suggestions

Storage