Ingredients:

  • 5 cans (6.5 oz each) chopped clams (not minced)
  • 3 slices bacon – cut into pieces
  • 1 onion – chopped
  • 2 stalks celery – chopped fine
  • 4 medium potatoes – peeled and diced
  • 1-1/2 C water (enough to just cover potatoes in pot)
  • 4 Tbsp flour
  • 1 C half and half
  • salt & pepper

Directions:

  1. Drain clams and reserve the juice
  2. In a 6 qt soup pot, saute cut bacon until crispy, then remove from pot and set aside –  leave the grease in the pot
  3. Over medium high heat, sautee onions and celery in bacon grease
  4. Once cooked (tender), add potatoes, water, salt & pepper
  5. Cover an bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer until potatoes are tender – check after 10 minutes
  6. In a separate bowl, whisk flour and half & half together until there are no lumps
  7. Mix in the reserved clam juice
  8. Slowly add mixture to pot, stirring GENTLY (only a few times) until thick, cooking on medium high heat for about 5 minutes. DO NOT OVERSTIR or the potatoes will turn mushy
  9. Add the clams and bacon
  10. Cook for 2 minutes, just enough to heat the clams through

Notes:

  1. Try serving in a small sourdough round bread where you cut out center and fill with clam chowder