Manhattan-Style Clam Chowder Recipe

New England clam chowder is one of the oldest and most classic soups to exist today, predating even the United States and the region it is named after. Originating several centuries ago with early indigenous populations, the soup as we know it today was eventually named after the later French settlers' chaudières, or cauldrons, which boiled the creamy shellfish mixture into a thick and steaming soup. Originally a hodgepodge of available coastal ingredients, the soup grew to become a staple recipe in the northern regions, hardly ever deviating from its simple, creamy, potato-filled recipe — that is, until its tomato-based cousin arrived and became an equally as iconic soup.

That now equally-iconic tomato-based cousin is, of course, Manhattan clam chowder, and it's pretty close in ingredients to its predecessor, but with a few crucial changes. Instead of milk or cream, the broth is made with tomato paste and diced tomatoes, which turn it into a bright, rich, acidic, and brothy chowder. It's definitely different from the cream-colored, thick chowder we associate with the soup, but is equally as good. This Manhattan-style clam chowder recipe developed with Michelle McGlinn is classic, thickened with flour, and full of the rich flavors of clam juice, bacon, and tomato, with a hint of tarragon for aromatic balance.

To make this chowder, you'll first need bacon, celery, carrots, onion, garlic, and flour. You'll also need tomato paste and diced tomatoes, as well as clam juice and chopped clams, which can both be found near the canned tuna in the grocery store. To finish building the soup, grab vegetable broth (seafood broth also works well), Yukon gold or Russet potatoes, some salt, pepper, and tarragon. For topping, we recommend chopped parsley and oyster crackers.

Add bacon pieces to a pot and cook until browned.

Using a slotted spoon or spatula, remove the bacon from the pot and set aside. Keep the grease in the pot.

Add the celery, carrots, and onion to the pot. Saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and stir.

Add the flour and stir to combine, creating a paste.

Stir the tomato paste into the pot and cook until beginning to stick to the bottom of the pot, about 2 minutes.

Pour in the clam juice and stir to deglaze the pot.

Add the potatoes, diced tomatoes, chopped clams, vegetable broth, salt, pepper, tarragon, and reserved bacon to the pot. Bring to a boil.

Boil the chowder until potatoes are soft, about 15 minutes.

Serve the chowder warm, optionally topped with chopped parsley and oyster crackers.

• Homemade Garlic Bread Recipe
• Everyday Salad With Herby Lemon Vinaigrette Recipe
• Easy Grilled Corn On The Cob And Garlic Butter Recipe
• Tender, Fluffy Cream Cheese Cheddar Biscuits Recipe

This Manhattan clam chowder isn't gluten-free as written because it uses flour to thicken the broth. Manhattan clam chowder isn't always made this way, though, and can easily be made without the flour to be made gluten-free. Simply omit the flour and continue with the recipe as written. This will alter the broth slightly, making it more brothy and less thick. To thicken the broth without using flour, you can use a cornstarch slurry at the end of the recipe, or swirl in ¼ cup heavy cream for added creaminess.

While there's no way to make clam chowder vegetarian without changing the recipe entirely, you can alter it to be pescatarian, which means the recipe only uses fish as its animal product. To do this, omit the bacon in the first step and instead use oil or butter to cook the vegetables. From there, continue with the recipe as written.

Chopped clams are a canned product found (usually) in the same aisle and section as canned tuna. These are, as the name implies, chopped, meaning that they have a finer texture than whole clams. Of course, if you like the meaty fullness of clams in your chowder, you can swap for a can or two of whole clams, which are often located in the same aisle. You can also use a mixture of both, so that you are getting the taste of clams with a hint of the texture. Using the canned clams is the easiest way to make and eat clam chowder, but there are also other, fresher ways to make the soup, too.

To make clam chowder with fresh clams, first scrub the clams clean under cold water, then add them to a pot with one cup of water. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover, and steam the clams until opened, about 5 to 6 minutes. Remove the clam meat from the shells and reserve, then fine-strain the liquid from the pot to use in the soup. Continue with the recipe as written, but add the clams towards the end of the cooking process, after the potatoes have been boiled. You can use this method for mussels, as well, or find frozen clam or mussel meat to use as a fresh alternative.

• Long Island-Style Seafood Chowder With Roasted Red Pepper Recipe
• Creamy Potato And Pea Chowder Recipe
• Classic Corn Chowder Recipe
• Creamy New England Clam Chowder Recipe
• Best Crab And Corn Chowder Recipe