Name: Clam Chowder
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 4
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1kg (2.2 lbs) live or frozen clams, cleaned; 2 Andouille sausages, cut into rings and then quartered; 3 tbsp unsalted butter; 2 onion, finely chopped; 2 small carrots, thinly sliced; 2 celery stalks, finely chopped; 1 small green bell pepper and/or two large jalapeño chillies; 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped; 2 cobs of corn, slice off the corn kernels; 2 baking potatoes, skinned and cut into small cubes; 1L (4 cups) fish stock or water; 250ml (1 cup) dry white wine; 250ml (1 cup) single cream, more or less to taste; 1 to 2 tsp paprika or Cayenne chilli powder (optional); 1 small bunch parsley, finely chopped; 1 small bunch marjoram, roughly chopped; Salt and pepper to taste; 4 to 6 sourdough bread boules, (optional); OPTIONAL TO FINSIH; 6 cloves garlic, slivered; 2 tbsp unsalted butter; 2 small lobster tails, deveined and sliced in half lengthwise down the centre

Jump to Recipe

Clam chowder can easily be made gluten free or thickened with flour. You decide.

I made this clam chowder gluten free as I was cooking for some family in California who are gluten intolerant. It tasted amazing and they all thoroughly enjoyed it.

I served mine in a San Francisco sourdough bread boule but some of the others had to foresake this obviously! It is actually filling enough on its own so they didn’t go hungry. If you would like to try this clam chowder the way I normally prepare it with a little plain (all purpose) flour for thickening, then read on. I give both options.

The clam chowder served at the table in a bread bowl, garnished with lobster and fresh herbs.

You are going to love this clam chowder!

About this clam chowder recipe.

This is a clam chowder I have been making for decades. The recipe is very similar to what you will find on San Francisco Fisherman’s Wharf or in Monterey where I lived for a few years. When you get it there, the chowder is thickened with flour but I was surprised when I made this gluten free version. The flour just isn’t needed!

That said, you can add flour if you want the real thing.

One think you are very unlikely to get when you order your clam chowder and Fisherman’s Wharf is large pieces of lobster tail

How do you thicken this clam chowder with flour?

Stir about 2 generous tablespoons of plain (all purpose) flour in after you fry off the onions and other vegetables. Let the flour coat the frying vegetables and then add the stock. That’s all you need to do.

If you feel at the end that it still isn’t thick enough, you can also make a slurry with a couple tablespoons flour whisked into a couple tablespoons of water. Then just add it slowly as the clam chowder simmers until you are happy with the consistency.

Really though… the flour was not missed when I made this gluten free version.

Do you have to add lobster?

This addition was a little decadent and was a real treat. There is certainly no definite requirement to use lobster. You could use some king prawns instead if you can get hold of those. Or just omit them completely as the chowder will be wonderful and more like the clam chowder you find at restaurants.

Are there any substitutes for Andouille sausages?

I always use Andouille sausage in my clam chowder unless I can’t get it. There are lots of substitutes though including leaving meat out completely.

Andouille is a spicy, smoked sausage with French origins but it is spiced up a bit with cajun seasoning. Here are a few similar sausages you could use…

Polish kielbasa: This sausage is easier to come by outside the US. It is similar in flavour to Andouille but not as smoky.
Chorizo: Spanish chorizo works perfectly with this recipe. It is both mildly spiced and smoky.
Smoked bacon: Although not a sausage, it will give you a similar flavour. Chop it up small and fry until it’s beginning to turn crispy.
Italian sausage: Italian sausage is usually a bit spicy so although it’s not smoked, it will give the clam chowder a delicious flavour.

So you have to serve this clam chowder in bread bowls (boule)?

No! That is the traditional way to serve a good clam chowder but many places simply serve their clam chowder in bowls which is fine.

Personally, I prefer to serve clam chowder in bread bowls as they soak up and thicken the chowder as you scrape out every last bite.

Is clam chowder spicy?

No. Traditionally, clam chowder is not spicy. I use jalapeños and chilli powder in my recipe because I like a good spicy chowder.

If you don’t want all that spice, substitute green bell peppers and sweet paprika.

How long can you store your clam chowder in the fridge?

When using shell fish, fresh is best, I recommend only storing this clam chowder in the fridge for one to two days.

To reheat it, you can pour it into a pot on your stove and heat it up over a medium heat, stirring regularly. You can also reheat it in your microwave.

Can you freeze creamy clam chowder?

In theory yes and you can freeze it up to three months. That said, creamy soups and those with soft cooked potatoes do not freeze well, They can become grainy when you reheat them.

So I don’t recommend freezing unless you absolutely have to.

Step by Step pictures…

Get all of your ingredients ready to make the cooking process go quickly and smoothly.

Simmer the clams for a few minutes until they open

The clams should look like this once opened

Fry off the Andouille sausages until a little crispy

Carrots, onion, celery and pepper frying

Gently fry the carrots, onion, celery and green bell pepper

Throw in the sweet corn and fry with the other vegetables

Now add the potato pieces

Pour in the chicken stock

Removing the cooked clams from the shells

Remove the cooked clams from the shells

Pour in some white wine to mix with the stock

Scoop out some bread from each bread boule to form a bowl

The cooked clams added to the vegetables and stock

Tip the cooked clams in to the pan of stock and vegetables

Cut the lobster bodies in half

Gently fry the lobster tails with garlic

Pour the cream into the chowder and stir well to combine.

The chowder ready to serve with some slowly cooked garlic on top to stir in.

If you made the lobster tails, you can add some or all of the garlic and butter it was cooked in.

The clam chowder served in the bread bowl

Serve your delicious clam chowder in the bread bowls

The clam chowder served with lobster tails and garnished with fresh herbs.

Dig in and enjoy. If you made it, add pieces of the lobster to the chowder or if serving four, place each halved lobster tail on top of each bowl.

Yield: 4 to 6

Clam Chowder

This is how I make San Francisco style clam chowder. It is slightly different though as with many of my recipes, I spice it up some and add lobster tail which really makes the flavour amazing. You can add bell pepper instead of the jalapeños or a mix of both if you want a more traditional flavour. Feel free to leave out the lobster too.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

1kg (2.2 lbs) live or frozen clams, cleaned
2 Andouille sausages, cut into rings and then quartered
3 tbsp unsalted butter
2 onion, finely chopped
2 small carrots, thinly sliced
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1 small green bell pepper and/or two large jalapeño chillies
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 cobs of corn, slice off the corn kernels
2 baking potatoes, skinned and cut into small cubes
1L (4 cups) fish stock or water
250ml (1 cup) dry white wine
250ml (1 cup) single cream, more or less to taste
1 to 2 tsp paprika or Cayenne chilli powder (optional)
1 small bunch parsley, finely chopped
1 small bunch marjoram, roughly chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
4 to 6 sourdough bread boules, (optional)
OPTIONAL TO FINSIH
6 cloves garlic, slivered
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 small lobster tails, deveined and sliced in half lengthwise down the centre

Instructions

Place the clams in a pot and cover with 250ml (1 cup) water. Cover and bring the water to a simmer over a medium-high heat and cook until the clam shells open. If any don't open, discard them. Transfer the cooked clams to a chopping board and retain the cooking liquid for later.
Remove the meat of the clams from the shells and finely chop. Place in a bowl and set aside.
Wipe your pan clean. No need to get is sparkling clean! Add the chopped Andouille sausages and fry over a medium-high heat for about 5 minutes or until heat through and turning crispy. Transfer the fried sausage to a bowl and set aside.
Add the butter to any oil from the sausages that remains in the pan and stir in the chopped onions, carrot and bell pepper and/or jalapeños. Fry these over a medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes to soften but don't let the veggies brown.
Stir in the chopped garlic and fry for another minute and then add the corn and chopped potatoes.
Cover with the a liter of liquid including the cooking stock from the clams, fish stock and/or water and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium and continue simmering for about 30 minutes or until the potatoes are fall apart soft. At this stage, many people like to blend the chowder until smooth but I like it a bit chunky so I don't. You decide.
Add 250ml (1 cup) dry white wine and bring to a simmer again to cook out the alcohol. Then add the chopped clams and and fried sausage and heat them through.
Stir in the cream. You can make this as creamy as you like so add cream to your own preference. Continue cooking over a medium heat while you prepare the lobster tails if adding.
To cook the lobster tails, melt the butter over a low heat and stir in the garlic. Fry the garlic slowly for about 10 minutes or longer. You do not want to brown the garlic but rather soften it. The longer you cook the garlic, the sweeter it will become.
Add the lobster tails, meat side down and poach them in the butter and garlic. This will take about 8 minutes and you only want to cook the lobster until it is just cooked through. If you overcook it, the meat will become tough.
Remove the cooked lobster meat and either serve them whole or chop it up. You can add the garlic and butter to the chowder and then stir in the lobster with a few tablespoons each of the chopped parsley and marjoram.
Season with salt and pepper to taste. If using bread boules, ladel the clam chowder into them or just use bowls. Serve garnished with a little paprika or Cayenne, chopped parsely and marjoram.