| Yield: | 6 to 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 2 dozen littleneck clams
- 2 dozen cherrystone clams
- 1 quart water
- 1 head garlic, sliced in 1/2 horizontally
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 sprigs thyme, leaves picked
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 ounces pancetta, cut into cubes
- 1 celery stalk, diced
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 heaping tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup milk
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- Parmesan Oyster Crackers, recipe follows
- 2 cloves garlic
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 stick unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 cups oyster crackers
- 1 handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Instructions
- Wash and scrub the clams to get rid of the dirt. Set the littlenecks aside in the refrigerator, and combine the cherrystone clams with the water, garlic, bay leaves, and thyme leaves in a large pot. Cover, and steam over medium-high heat until the clams have all popped open, about 15 minutes. Check every 5 minutes to pull out the clams that have opened (some take longer than others), and give the pot a stir. Pull the opened clams out of their shells and chop them roughly. Cover them and set aside. Pour the broth into a big bowl through a strainer that you’ve lined with cheesecloth, just in case there is leftover sand; set the broth aside.
- Rinse out the pot and melt the butter over medium heat. Add the pancetta, celery, and onion. Saute this together for 5 minutes, until the vegetables soften. Sprinkle the flour into the pot; stir and coat everything well. Gradually pour in the strained clam broth, whisking constantly to break up any lumps of flour. When all the broth is incorporated, fold in the potatoes, and bring to a boil, stirring constantly for about 15 minutes. The soup will start to thicken from the potato starch.
- Reduce the heat to low and fold in the cream, milk, and chopped clams. Toss in the littleneck clams and cover the pot to let them steam open, about 5 minutes. Season the soup with many turns of freshly ground black pepper and stir everything together to heat through, but do not let it boil. Serve this in nice big bowls with some chopped parsley and Parmesan Oyster Crackers.
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
- Chop garlic cloves then sprinkle with some salt and smash to make a paste. Set a large nonstick pan over medium heat. Add butter, oil and garlic and swirl pan. Add oyster crackers and chopped flat-leaf parsley and toss to coat. Spread out on a sheet tray, season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with shredded Parmigiano. Pop into the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until golden and crispy.
- Yield: 2 cups
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 616 |
| Total Fat | 45 g |
| Saturated Fat | 24 g |
| Carbohydrates | 32 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 5 g |
| Protein | 22 g |
| Cholesterol | 150 mg |
| Sodium | 998 mg |
Reviews
I enjoyed this recipe as is, a little watery and the pancetta lacked something. I am going to use thick cut bacon, should I remove some of the bacon fat before adding flour?
fine and excellent
I love this recipe. Chowder that taste’s different than any restaurant I have been too.
I have made Tyler’s Clam Chowder now for the last 3 Thanksgiving’s. My family raved about how delicious it was so it has became a main stay on our Thanksgiving table. Thanks Tyler. Ginger Cannon
Literally amazing. I am in Westerly, RI and we caught fresh clams to make this. Although it took a while to get the clams open it was well worth it. We did not use the pancetta being that I am a pescatarian but that did not ruin the flavor at all my family was amazed. THANK YOU!
I checked what others said, and as I like my chowder very thick and rich, I added an extra Tbls. of flour, and reduced the amount of milk…also added an extra potato. This is the MOST delicious chowder I’ve EVER had, and I include restaurant, can or homemade recipe. I used softshell clams we caught just hours before here on the Oregon coast. The broth made with them was rich and full of flavor, and the resulting soup was so good! Thanks Tyler!
This has WONDERFUL flavor…however it isn’t really a nice, thick chowder like I wanted. I think next time I will use only 1 quart of broth to make my stock. By the time you add all the cream and milk it is quite liquid, even with the extra Yukons I added. But taste wise it is delicious including the crackers!
i love this.tyler when i lived in italy for 2 years i ate this.great too.thanks so much for this recipe.wonderful too!!!!!!!!!!!shari c.
Okay….I think the best clam chowder I ever had was at The Black Pearl in Newport, RI. However, this chowder brought that memory right back for me. I’ve never made clam chowder before and was really nervous about it with all of the fresh clams involved, etc…
It was sooo easy…and fast! I chopped up the celery, etc, while I soaked the clams so everything was ready to go at the same time. I used bacon because that’s what I had on hand and didn’t want the added expense of the pancetta. It was delicious! It was even good left-over and reheated 2 days later.
It was sooo easy…and fast! I chopped up the celery, etc, while I soaked the clams so everything was ready to go at the same time. I used bacon because that’s what I had on hand and didn’t want the added expense of the pancetta. It was delicious! It was even good left-over and reheated 2 days later.
Traditionally I have always had clam chowder with bacon, but the pancetta was a welcomed curve ball. This was a relatively easy chowder to make and the flavor was outstanding. I paired it with some sourdough bread rather than the oyster crackers. Cheers!