When ever we travel to a new place along the coast, and we decide to eat out, I always order a bowl of clam chowder and fish + chips. These two dishes are my taste test to see how good the restaurant is; so I can say I am an expert, at least for my own taste. Here are Chowders cooked around the USA.
We cooked two of the recipes, and made some changes based on eating them. But even with those we did not provide actual recipes for, it is easy enough to figure out how to make, as they all are similar. Make a broth (corn or clam based), thicken it (roux or milk products), then add veggies, and serve with various toppings.
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Many Types of Chowder
French Invention?
When reading up on chowder’s history it is often stated as fact that “chowder” is a European dish: The origins of clam chowder are a little murky, but most believe it was first developed by the French settlers who came to North America in the 17th century. These settlers were looking for a way to use up the abundant clams they found in the local waters, so they started making a soup or stew with them (5).
From the Western worlds view, the word “chowder” comes from the French word la chaudière (aka “cauldron”, 1). This is the name of an enormous copper or cast iron pot, that was most often used in coastal French villages. Their custom was for returning fishers to toss a part of their catch into the pot for a community meal of fish-based stew. The name slowly morphed from “chaudière” (sounds like shod-yā, 2) to “chowder”. So chowder is defined, essentially, as a fish or shellfish stew.
Indigenous Invention?
Indigenous People all along the costs were obviously the first to utilize various native clams in their soups and stew dishes (3) since they were the first here. But for those Indigenous Peoples, “chowder” need not contain clams, and could also be made with fish like cod or flounder (6).
Many Eastern coastal tribes have often consider clam chowders to be “appropriated” from their original clam dishes, renamed as chowder, and disassociated from their native source. Their arguments are that they had all they needed: sunflower seed oil, native Jerusalem artichokes (for potatoes (4), onions, corn, beans, etc.
Who Invented?
While I would say the term “chowder” clearly originated from a French term. When listening to native speakers say the name of the cauldron, it clearly holds the hint of an Anglicized “chowder”.
I have no doubt that this type of stew that was not invented by the French or even Indigenous East Coast People, but was used wherever there was a human community living near the ocean anywhere in the world. And I imagine that a fish or clam stew is most likely as old as humans fishing.
However, if it is the case that the colonialists who learned of this dish from the Indigenous Peoples in their area, it would have been appropriate to name the dish in recognition of the Tribe. At the same time the colonialists acknowledged they could not have survived without the help of local Tribes and their food knowledge; they essentially eradicated even the concept that native foods existed.
My Story
When I lived in Washington state, I would go to the ocean beaches and dig for clams. There were a variety of clams there: razor clams, geoducks, Manila and native littleneck clams, among others. And I would purge the clams on the beach, rinse and place in a cooler for further processing at home.
It was a whole day activity, followed by soups of hot Chowder and freshly made bread or cornbreads. We made the equivalent of the New England Clam Chowder, but added corn to the stew.
- For a letter-sized pdf of the clams in Washington state.
- There are also mussels and oysters, but I do not put those in a Chowder.
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Corn Chowder Recipe
In the USA, published recipes for corn chowder date back to at least 1884. Corn Chowder is considered a chowder-like soup that uses corn instead of clams. It uses milk products and potatoes to ensure the broth is smooth and thickish. And is often presented as the vegetarian or vegan option. The recipe below does have meat and animal products it, but with the following changes it would meet those diet requirements:
- Consider making a roux (vegan butter + plant milk) instead of using milk and heavy cream to thicken the soup broth.
- In place of bacon, fry up dulse seaweed and put that into the broth for the umami flavor bacon would give. But play around and use the seaweed that adds the flavor you like.
- Corn Chowder
- Corn broth
- 4-5 corn cobs, remove kernels and set aside
- Add the 4-5 naked cobs into a soup pot with 4C water
- Add 3C homemade chicken broth
- Add 1C milk and 1C heavy cream
- Add 1/2C fried dulse seaweed chopped into small pieces
- Let this mixture come to a boil, turn down to a low simmer, and lid the pot.
- Cook for an hour on low, then strain.
- Taste and season with kosher salt and white pepper.
- Soup
- Add the ~4C corn kernels set aside earlier, to the broth.
- In a skillet cook 4 bacon slices and chop afterwards, remove from skillet and set aside. Use the remaining bacon fat to sauté the following.
- 1 diced large white onion.
- 2 diced carrot.
- 3 chopped celery stalks with leaves.
- Once done scrape everything into the soup pot.
- Add 1# cubed and peeled Yukon potatoes to the soup.
- Then add kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
- And finally add 1/4t cayenne pepper, or to taste
- Cook for ~45min on low simmer.
- Stir occasionally so nothing sticks to the pot.
- If the broth needs thickening, add some cornstarch or potato flour.
- Garnish with chopped scallions and a sprinkling of sweet paprika.
- Then place add a handful of homemade garlic croutons.
Corn Chowder Taste Test
We reviewed all sorts of corn chowder recipes and found one that incorporated the majority of variations and written suggestions. We made that recipe, then the three of us (my spouse, our son, and I) evaluated its taste. Following that I took the left overs and tried to modify it so that I could figure out how to correct our more negative observations.
We all expected chowder to be thicker than this more soupy, thinner broth. The flavor was delicate, and corn-ish which meant it was sweet. My spouse liked it immediately for it was light, but I found it missing a base. My son thought it was missing a certain depth of flavor he was expecting. We all really liked the potatoes as they kept their shape, yet melted in the mouth. The corn was also appreciated for it still had some chew and tasted fresh.
Afterwards I modified the recipe to reduce the overall amount of liquid, from 11.5C down to 9C as it was just too much liquid. Then I made a note about thickening the broth if you want, for some people actually do prefer this more soupy. For serving, I removed the chives and added scallions, and a shake or two of paprika for added color. I also added the garlic croutons for when I tried that it was a nice punch of flavor and crunch.
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New England Clam Chowder Recipe
New England clam chowder is the most popular chowder dish, and is mostly what you get on the West coast when ordering clam chowder. It’s the classic, with clams, onions, celery, bacon (or salt pork), and potatoes (sometimes it also has corn). The chowder is mildly ocean in flavor, white looking, and has a creamy mouthfeel.
- New England Clam Chowder
- Place potatoes, carrots, celery, and onion into a large skillet; pour in clam juice and add enough water to cover.
- 2C Cubed potatoes
- 1C Diced carrots
- 1C Diced celery
- 1C Minced onion
- Water to cover ingredients
- 3 (6.5 ounce) cans minced clams that are drained, set aside the clams, but add the juice
- Plop in a bay leaf and cook over medium-low heat until vegetables are tender. Stir occasionally to make sure nothing sticks on the bottom.
- Meanwhile, make a roux by melting butter in a soup pot, over medium heat, whisk in flour until smooth, then whisk in cream. Stir constantly until thick and smooth.
- Roux: ¾C butter and ¾C all-purpose flour
- 1 quart half-and-half cream
- Then combine the veggie mixture by pouring it into the soup pot, and continue cooking.
- Finally, add the clams for ~10min of warming up. Cook too much and they get rubbery.
- Add the last bits, mix well, taste and season as required.
- 2T Red wine vinegar
- 1 ½t salt
- white pepper to taste
- Place potatoes, carrots, celery, and onion into a large skillet; pour in clam juice and add enough water to cover.
San Franciso’s Clam Chowder
The photo above is how San Francisco eats its own chowder. This is basically a wonderfully creamy New England Clam Chowder served within a freshly baked sourdough bread bowl. By all the stories, the first sourdough bread bowl and clam chowder came from the San Francisco restaurant, Boudin, whose business is still up and running today along Fisherman’s Wharf.
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Manhattan Clam Chowder
The Manhattan Chowder has clams, celery, onion, and bacon; but then adds tomatoes. This is due to it being a 1889 fusion of Italian and Portuguese cuisines converting a local soup into something the New York immigrants could identify with by adding ingredients like tomatoes, bell pepper, parsley, oregano, and crushed red pepper flakes.
I have not tried this chowder, but my spouse has. It was described to me as a tomato based soup with veggies and clams. Admittedly, the photo above fits that description.
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Rhode Island Clam Chowder
This dish has a clear broth but also has the bacon, onions, celery, and clams. The broth used in this dish is clam juice, which provides not much color or thickness. It is really a clam-forward dish, and both the Food Network and Martha Stewart recommend using the large East Coast Quahog clams.
Conjecture: Indigenous People Dish
I can see visually how this might be a version of clam chowder that some Indigenous People indicated is close to the foods they ate historically. They would have most likely added ingredients readily available to them: onions, ramps, beans, corn, Jerusalem artichokes, and clams most likely with fish as well.
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Cabo Clam Chowder
Toast cumin in a dry pan, then grind. In a heavy bottomed soup pot, sauté vegetables (onion, potatoes, corn peppers, and garlic) in olive oil, add the cumin, and deglaze pan with white wine. Add the clam juice and simmer on medium until potatoes are tender. Then add the chopped clams and remaining ingredients (beans, hot sauce, and lime juice) and simmer over medium low heat. Once well combined, taste for seasoning, then serve with tortilla strips as a garnish along with the cilantro.
- Cabo Clam Chowder
- 2T cumin seed, toasted in a dry pan, then ground. 1T for cooking + 1T for toppings.
- 51oz Chopped canned clams, both the drained juice + clams should be reserved
- Ingredients sautéd
- 2T Olive oil
- 2# Diced red potatoes, cook so they are brown + a little bit crispy
- 2 Diced red onion
- 1T minced garlic
- 2C Yellow corn
- 1C Diced green pepper (your choice it could be Bell, poblano, jalapeño, etc., or a combo of them)
- Add 1T ground cumin and 1t cayenne + mix well
- Add a pinch of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper + mix well
- Cook for ~15 minutes to give it time to integrate
- Use ¼C White Wine if there is fond on the pan, otherwise you can skip this ingredient
- Scrape all the sautéd food into a soup pot along with the reserved clam juice
- Add 2C Black Beans (if canned, drain the juice, use the beans)
- Bring to a boil, then turn down the stew to a slow simmer, put on a lid and cook for ~45 minutes
- Up to 2T Chipotle hot sauce, depending upon the heat
- Add jarred Clam Juice to make sure all the food is covered
- It is ready once the stew tastes integrated, taste for last minute seasoning or spice (cumin or cayenne). Or add more clam juice if you want more liquid.
- Serve with these toppings
- ~1T Minced cilantro
- Slight pinch of toasted ground cumin
- Add a lime wedge to each bowl
Cabo Clam Chowder Taste Test
We tasted both soups at the same time, starting with the Corn Chowder. Where that one was light, this one was heavier. We added the canned bean broth to the stew so it had a naturally thicker broth from that addition. But I removed it from the final recipe as I think it would look less “dirty” if it did not have the bean broth.
This tasted like cumin, there was not hint of ocean flavor and the clams, other than being chewy, did not add any flavor to the dish as well. Although, of course, it did add nutrition. We also added more cayenne than the original recipe called for as it was also on the light side in terms of pepper spice. But keep in mind, when using fresh peppers or chilies that heat can vary drastically, so be sure to taste as your go to make sure it is not too hot.
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Red Curry Clam Chowder
I found this on line and thought that clams would be a great food to work into a curry sauce. I have not tried this yet but have read the recipe to make sure it makes sense to me. This is a pureed soup, that features clam bites as the only whole pieces in it. It sounds very complex and tasty.
- Red Curry Clam Chowder
- Make a fishy stock
- 5C Water
- 7oz Sliced Kombu
- 3C Bonito flake
- 30g Anchovy, if complete remove guts but keep head
- 1/2 Thickly sliced yellow onion + the brown paper-like covering
- 3 Peeled and smashed garlic
- 2 chopped Scallions
- 8 Dried Shiitake Mushrooms
- The juice from canned clams
- Save the clams for later, chop and put into the fridge while cooking
- Cook for ~30 minutes.
- Drain and freeze the ingredients for making more broth.
- Reserve the broth for use later.
- Melt 2T butter in a soup pot over medium heat until bubbling.
- Add 2 peeled Japanese sweet potato and cook until tender
- 1” grated ginger
- Remove and set aside ~1/4 of the potatoes for later.
- Add 1/2 diced yellow onion
- Add 2 minced garlic and cook a few minutes.
- Then add 3T Thai red curry paste and 2T fish sauce, and stir to combine well.
- Pour the liquids into the pot + simmer gently for 25 minutes.
- 4 cups seafood stock
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup coconut milk
- Use an immersion blender to puree all the ingredients.
- Then add 2# chopped clams
- Serve and garnish with basil leaves and lime wedge.
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If you make any of the chowders please send me a picture of the final dish and what you think about its taste. Would appreciate hearing how it went, what you changed, and what you wished you had added.
—Patty
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