Homemade Clam Chowder

As an east coast Canadian I'm EXTREMELY fond of anything and everything related to seafood.

I have a lot of favorite foods and dishes (obviously! haha) but as a Maritimer now living in the big city of Toronto sometimes I get homesick for some good ol' fashioned east coast comfort food.

One of my favorite comfort foods has got to be a rich and delicious creamy homemade clam chowder.  It's just the perfect thing to warm you up during the cold January weather. 🙂

I like my clam chowder thick and hearty with lots of chunks of potatoes.  A little bit of bacon sprinkled on top is pretty good too! 🙂

This recipe makes for a very flavorful clam chowder that I'm certain will make any seafood love dance a little jig.

The fresh thyme, bay leaves, garlic, onions and celery really do a fantastic job of making this taste something spectacular!

If you've never made clam chowder yourself before, it's a lot easier than you'd think.  Also it really doesn't take that long to cook when compared to other homemade soup and stew recipes.

One thing to remember when preparing seafood is that it takes much less time to cook than beef, chicken or other meats.  The clams are added to the soup almost at the end of cooking so they don't become overdone.

If you're feeling adventurous you might even want to try adding some other kinds of seafood to the recipe to make it even more amazing! This would taste great with little bits of lobster or crab as well.

Next time you're feeling cold and need the warmth of a little east coast cooking, try this recipe!

Please let me know how it turns out for you in the comment section below! 😀

Homemade Clam Chowder

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• Author: Michelle Varga - DishesAndDustBunnies.com
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 6 - 8 servings
• Category: Soups and Stews

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Ingredients

• 3 strips of bacon
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 2/3 cups yellow onions, chopped finely
• 1 cup celery, chopped (this is about 3 ribs)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tbsps all purpose flour
• 4 springs fresh thyme
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 cups water
• 3 lbs white potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 2 cups heavy cream
• Salt, to taste
• Pepper, to taste
• ½ tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 10 oz. canned whole baby clams, drain and reserve the liquid from the can/s

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Instructions

1. In a large Dutch oven cook the strips of bacon until crisp. Remove from the pot and place on a paper towel to drain and set aside.
2. Drain all but 1 tbsp of bacon fat from the pot.
3. Add butter to the pot and cook onions, garlic and celery on medium heat until softened. About 10 minutes.
4. Add thyme, bay leaves, cayenne and all purpose flour. Using a whisk, combine so there are no lumps.
5. Add the water and the reserved liquid from the clams. Combine and bring to a boil.
6. Add cubed potatoes. Reduce heat to medium and cook until softened. You can check the doneness of the potatoes by jabbing them with a fork.
7. Add the cream and combine.
8. Remove 1 ½ cups of the soup, placing it into a blender. Blend until smooth and add it back to the soup. NOTE: You can also do this by sticking a hand blender into the chowder and pulsing a couple times or you can even mash some of the potatoes with a fork in the pot. This is an important step in creating the creamy texture of the chowder.
9. Next, add the baby clams to the chowder. Cook on low for about 10 minutes.
10. Add Worcestershire sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste. Combine and let cook for a couple more minutes.
11. Crumble the reserved bacon over the top of each serving. Serve hot and enjoy! 🙂

I'd love to hear from you so please feel free to leave a comment in the comment section below!