Clam Chowder in a Bread Bowl
You'll love this thick, creamy New England-style clam chowder in a bread bowl! It's made with minced and whole clams, heavy cream, onions, celery, potatoes and fresh herbs. This recipe uses store-bought sourdough bread bowls and canned clams.
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 1076kcal
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons bacon grease or rendered pork fat*
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1 celery stalk chopped
- 1 teaspoon crushed garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 16 ounces clam juice two 8-ounce bottles
- 1 cup chicken broth
- ½ pound russet potatoes cut into small cubes
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 3 cups heavy cream
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cans minced clams drained
- 1 can whole clams drained
- 1 teaspoon fresh chopped parsley
- 4 bread bowls store-bought or from your local bakery is fine
Instructions
- Heat the bacon grease/pork fat in a 4.5 quart soup pot.
- Add the onions, celery and thyme. Sauté over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
- Add the clam juice, chicken broth and potatoes to the pot and bring to a boil.
- In a separate saucepan, make a roux by melting 3 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Once the butter melts, turn the flame down low and whisk in the flour until a paste forms. Add the heavy cream and continue to whisk until the mixture (roux) is thick. Remove from heat.
- Stir the roux-mixture into to the pot with the clam juice and potatoes. Once the pot resumes boiling, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. The chowder base will thicken as it cooks and the potatoes will become tender.
- Add the clams to the pot and let cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Turn the flame off, stir in the fresh parsley and cover the part while you carve the bread bowls. Directions for carving the bread bowls are in the notes section below.
- Ladle the clam chowder into bread bowls and serve.
Notes
Carve the bread bowls right before serving:
- Place a ramekin or very small bowl on top of the bread bowl. Hold the ramekin steady with one hand and keep your fingers away from where you'll be inserting the knife.
- Use a sharp paring knife to cut around the perimeter of the ramekin. Be careful not to cut too far down or you could puncture the bread bowl. Aim to leave ¼ of an inch of space between the tip of your knife and the bottom of the bread bowl.
- Use your hands to pull the tops off the bread bowls, and then re-insert your knife to finishing hollowing them out. Pull out any remaining bread.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cup | Calories: 1076kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 92g | Saturated Fat: 53g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 26g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 242mg | Sodium: 15255mg | Potassium: 743mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 3069IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 263mg | Iron: 2mg