This hearty, creamy chowder is loaded with clams, potatoes, green peppers, celery and seasoning. The secret is the baked roux, which makes this classic chowder extra thick and delicious.
Years ago, a good friend gave me this recipe for The Best Clam Chowder. It’s a copycat of the clam chowder served at a popular restaurant in Salt Lake City, Utah called Market Street Grill. I’ve never found a clam chowder recipe that beats this one!
The first, and most unique thing you’ll notice about this recipe is that the roux is baked in the oven. I’d never seen anything like it before, but it’s actually brilliant.
I love that I can prepare the other parts of this soup while the butter and flour are baking and browning in the oven. And when you add the baked roux to the soup, it gets super thick, super fast!
Then you add half and half or milk until your chowder is the consistency you like it. If you love a really thick clam chowder, just add less milk. If you like your chowder on the thinner side, add more.
Besides being delicious thick and rich, this clam chowder is loaded with flavor, thanks to sauteed leeks, peppers, celery and onion. And the perfect combination of herbs and spices. Plus a splash of Tabasco sauce, of course.
We actually like to serve some Tabasco sauce on the side too, for those who like to add a little spice to their chowder. And don’t forget the Saltines or oyster crackers. Well, at least my kids won’t let me forget that!
Living in a landlocked state like Colorado, it’s not easy to get a really great clam chowder, so I love having a recipe that lets me recreate a restaurant quality seafood chowder at home.
If you’ve been searching for the perfect clam chowder recipe, look no further. This truly is the best clam chowder I’ve ever had!
Be sure to save this recipe for The Best Clam Chowder to your favorite Pinterest board for later.
Here’s what you’ll need to make The Best Clam Chowder
- Butter
- Flour
- Produce: potatoes, celery, onion, green peppers, leeks
- Canned clams
- Spices: thyme, bay leaves, salt and pepper
- Tabasco sauce
- Chicken broth
- Milk or Half and Half
The Best Clam Chowder
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter melted and divided
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1 cup diced green pepper
- 1/2 cup diced leeks
- 2-3 cups diced potatoes
- 1-2 cans minced or chopped clams with juice
- 2-3 cups chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 4-6 bay leaves
- 2 quarts whole milk or Half and Half
- 2 teaspoons Tabasco sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Stir together 3/4 melted butter and flour in a baking dish until smooth. Cover and bake for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add remaining butter to a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the celery, onion, green peppers and leeks and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and clams to the pot, along with enough broth to cover everything. Stir in salt, pepper, thyme and bay leaves.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat simmer until potatoes are just tender, about 15 minutes. Gradually stir in the baked flour and butter mixture until chowder is very thick. Remove and discard bay leaves, then remove soup from heat and gradually stir in milk or Half and Half to reach desired consistency. Stir in Tabasco sauce and additional salt and pepper before serving, if needed.
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If you love this recipe, you might also like:
Easy Shrimp and Corn Chowder
Cajun Sausage and Corn Chowder
Jalapeno Popper Chicken Chowder
Who Dished It Up First: My friend Mishi shared this recipe with me nearly 15 years ago!
5 comments
~Amy
The best clam chowder recipe iv made ! Left overs are even better. Just add a little more milk to thin it out. Thank you for sharing!
Leon
Will certain Give this a try
Wendy
Will there be enough stock if I add shrimp?
Danelle
There should be. Great idea!
Penny
I made this clam chowder last night and it was absolutely phenomenal! Thank you so much for sharing it!