# New England Clam Chowder

Tender clams in a rich, milk-based broth built on salt pork fat and layered potatoes — Fannie Farmer's 1896 formula, sharpened for the modern kitchen.

_Soup · New England_

Prep: 20 min · Cook: 35 min · Total: 55 min · Yields: 6 servings

## Ingredients

- 2 lb fresh littleneck or cherrystone clams (in shell, about 1 quart shucked meat)
- 3 oz salt pork (cut into ¼-inch dice)
- 1 medium yellow onion (thinly sliced)
- 4 cups Yukon Gold potatoes (peeled, cut into ¾-inch cubes)
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp kosher salt (plus more to taste)
- ¼ tsp black pepper (freshly ground)
- 2 ½ cups water (boiling)
- 4 cups whole milk
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter (divided)
- 6 pieces oyster crackers (or common crackers, for serving)

## Instructions

1. Shuck the clams over a bowl to catch every drop of liquor. Separate the tough foot/neck (hard parts) from the soft belly meat and set both aside. Strain the collected liquor through a fine-mesh sieve lined with a paper towel; reserve.
2. Pour the strained clam liquor into a small saucepan, bring to a boil, then reduce to a bare simmer. Keep warm.
3. Finely chop the hard parts of the clams; leave the soft belly meat whole. Set both aside separately.
4. In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium heat, render the 3 oz salt pork, stirring occasionally, until the fat is released and the pieces are golden, about 6 minutes.
5. Add the sliced onion to the rendered pork fat and cook, stirring, until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Do not drain — the fat is your flavor base.
6. Meanwhile, parboil the 4 cups potatoes in a separate pot of boiling salted water for 5 minutes, then drain well.
7. Scatter half the parboiled potatoes into the Dutch oven in an even layer. Add the chopped hard clam meat, then sprinkle with 0.5 tsp of the kosher salt, 0.125 tsp of the black pepper, and 1.5 tbsp of the flour.
8. Add the remaining potatoes in a second layer, sprinkle with the remaining 0.5 tsp kosher salt, 0.125 tsp black pepper, and the remaining 1.5 tbsp flour.
9. Pour in the 2.5 cups boiling water, stir gently to distribute the flour, and cook uncovered over medium heat for 10 minutes, until the potatoes are just tender and the broth has thickened slightly.
10. Warm the 4 cups whole milk in a separate saucepan until steaming (do not boil). Add the hot milk, the soft belly clam meat, and 3 tbsp of the unsalted butter to the pot. Stir gently and simmer for 3 minutes — do not let it boil hard or the milk will break.
11. While the chowder finishes, make the clam-liquor thickener: in a small saucepan, melt the remaining 1 tbsp unsalted butter over medium heat, whisk in 1 tsp flour, and cook 1 minute. Whisk in the warm reserved clam liquor and stir until smooth and lightly thickened, about 2 minutes.
12. Stir the clam-liquor thickener into the chowder just before serving. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
13. Ladle into warm bowls and top each with a handful of oyster crackers.

## Tip

> Add the soft belly clam meat in the last 3 minutes only — it's already cooked through from shucking heat and will turn rubbery if it simmers longer. The hard chopped parts can take the full 10-minute cook; they need it to tenderize.

Tags: comfort-food, seafood, one-pan, classic, weeknight

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Canonical: https://just-recipes.io/recipes/new-england-clam-chowder
Source: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/65061