Manhattan Clam Chowder is hearty and savory with bold flavors. It features a rich tomato-based broth filled with tender seafood and veggies.
Clam Chowder is one of those classic favorite Soups that we all hope is the soup of the day when we eat out, but is actually really easy to make at home!
Sabrina’s Manhattan Clam Chowder Recipe
Manhattan Clam Chowder is a delicious side dish for Italian favorites like Meat Lasagna or Chicken Parmesan. The savory tomato broth is begging to have a slice of homemade Dinner Rolls or Garlic Bread dunked into it. You can make this a slow cooker soup year round when the weather is hot and you don’t want turn on the stovetop. Garnish this clam soup with chopped parsley, crushed red pepper, and oyster crackers.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound bacon
- 1 yellow onion , diced
- 2 carrots , diced
- 3 stalks celery , diced
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 26 ounces clams , chopped, canned undrained (4 cans)
- 28 ounces diced tomatoes , undrained
- 2 pounds russet potatoes , peeled and diced
- 2 tablespoons parsley , chopped
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
Instructions
- Add the bacon to a large stockpot and cook until crispy and chewy.
- Remove bacon from pan and drain all but 2 tablespoons of grease.
- Chop the bacon and set to the side.
- Add in the onion, carrots, and celery on medium heat and cook for 6-8 minutes until translucent, stirring occasionally.
- Add in the vegetable broth, clams, diced tomatoes, potatoes, parsley, thyme, bay leaf and black pepper.
- Stir well, bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes.
- Stir in the bacon, and serve.
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About this Recipe
This clam chowder is a quick and budget-friendly recipe that uses canned clams so there are no special prep skills like shucking needed. Get diced clams or minced clams so it’s one less thing to chop, and be sure not to drain the clam juice. If you want even more flavorful clam broth, you could add bottled clam juice if it’s in your pantry or your budget. The lighter Manhattan Clam Chowder is healthier than a heavy cream soup, but it’s definitely not light in flavor. There is a toss up whether red clam chowder or New England clam chowder is the best, but really it comes down to what kind of seafood chowder you are craving!
Chef’s Note: Using Fresh Clams
- If you are lucky enough to get fresh clams for a great price, start with 2 pounds small clams, baby clams, or medium-sized Quahog clams.
- Scrub clams very well and set aside. Start preparing chowder as usual but don’t add clams for the first 10 minutes of simmering.
- After soup simmers for 10 minutes, add scrubbed clams and simmer for 8-10 minutes until all the clams have opened.
- Remove soup from heat and discard any clams that have not opened after 10 minutes.
- Carefully remove clams, take out meat from shells and stir back into soup with cooked bacon. Discard shells unless you want a few for decoration.
How to Store
- Serve: Manhattan Clam Chowder can be at room temperature for up to 2 hours or kept warm in a slow cooker for up to 4 hours.
- Store: Refrigerate chowder in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stove top, simmering soup for about 5 minutes.
- Freeze: Cool the chowder before freezing to prevent freezer burn from moisture. Freeze in a sealed container for up to 2 months and thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Alternative Cooking Techniques
Slow Cooker
- Bacon: In a large skillet, cook bacon until it’s crispy. Remove bacon, set aside, and drain all but 2 tablespoons bacon grease.
- Sauté Veggies: In reserved bacon grease, sauté onions, celery, and carrots until onions are translucent. Add onion mixture to crockpot and add remaining ingredients, except clams and bacon, in slow cooker and stir.
- Cook: Cover slow cooker with lid and cook on low for 3-4 hours or high for 2 hours, until potatoes are fork-tender. Place clams in tomato soup, stir, and cook an additional 20-30 minutes.
- Serve: Stir in bacon and serve with chopped parsley and oyster crackers.
Frequent Questions
Canned clams make this seafood chowder simple. You can use whole clams or already chopped clams, whichever is easiest.
Manhattan Clam Chowder is lighter, but just as easy and delicious as the New England style creamy clam chowder variations. It is a red clam chowder that has a tomato base instead of cream and is loaded with veggies so it’s hearty and filling.
Replace the clams with white fish like tilapia, cod, or sea bass to make a Manhattan Fish Chowder. You can keep the clams in and also add mussels, lobster, shrimp, and other shellfish for Manhattan Shellfish Soup.
Instead of cooked bacon, you can use pancetta, salted pork, or leftover Baked Ham. If you don’t want to use pork, you can try turkey bacon instead. Otherwise you can omit bacon entirely and use 2 tablespoons olive oil to cook veggies.
Use any potatoes like Yukon gold potatoes, red potatoes, or sweet potatoes. For thin potatoes like Yukon gold potatoes, you don’t need to peel them first. For a low carb and keto recipe, use celery root or cauliflower for potatoes.
Add green bell peppers, red pepper, canned or frozen corn, zucchini, or plum tomatoes for a healthier hearty soup.
Use Old Bay seasoning, fresh herbs like fresh thyme and fresh parsley, a couple cloves garlic, white wine, bottled clam juice, red pepper flakes, or tomato juice for more wonderful flavor.
Variations
- Pasta: While not traditional, you could add some pasta to the Manhattan Clam Chowder, especially if you’re serving to kids. Pasta shells, macaroni, or bowties will add some familiarity for children to encourage them to give this delicious soup a try, and win over a new fan.
- Spicy: If you love spice, you can add a dash of your favorite spicy seasoning to the veggies as they cook. Another option is to add a few drops of hot sauce to the soup once it is done.
- A Twist: Serve your clam chowder with a twist of lime or lemon over each bowl to give it a nice, brightly flavored finish. You could also top off each bowl with a dollop of sour cream, crème fraîche, or greek yogurt like we often see in tomato soup. A drizzle of heavy cream would also add an extra dimension of flavor.
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Photos used in a previous version of this post
A wonderful, savory soup. For seafood lovers, this recipe is a must-try. The broth is so flavorful and loaded with goodness.
Very good, I-will be making this again, we loved this Chowder.
So glad you enjoyed the recipe Beverly!
SUPERB, I love this recipe. So on point with flavor. Thank you, my beloved husband, who I lost 16 years ago). He always had the best, no one could compare. Until now, I am coming close to perfection. Just needed a little push and thank you for that. I use more clams and a little more spices, but , yahoo, wonderful manhattan clam chodwer. I’m so happy.
Oh Patricia, so sorry for your loss and what a wonderful comment to read today. Thanks so much for sharing and delighted you enjoyed the Manhattan Clam Chowder!
I grew up in RI and my mother made the best red chowder, as we called it. This recipe comes closest to my mom’s recipe which unfortunately I have lost over the years. It came out perfect! Delicious! The only difference-I used seafood broth and added a little paprika. I also used a combination of fresh chopped quahogs and canned.
Enjoyed your great feedback Judy. So glad it came close to “mom’s recipe”!