To me, a Manhattan or “RED” clam chowder allows the clams to shine through more than the New England “WHITE” sauce version which masks their flavor too much. So, if you’re a seafood lover, you’ll adore this Manhattan “RED”clam chowder version loaded with lots of clams, crispy browned bacon, vegetables cooked in bacon fat and potatoes simmered in the savory tomato broth until the potatoes are tender. The “RED” version is a much lighter version as opposed to the creamy New England version.
Many of the same flavor components exist in BOTH versions, such as the clams, clam juice, onion, celery, bacon and seasonings. The major difference is that one is a tomato broth based, while the other is a cream milk base.
While this is a fairly traditional version, you can change or add other ingredients to customize this dish to your tastes. Instead of bacon, try salt pork, pancetta or even diced cubed ham or even all of them. Try adding red or green bell peppers or corn to add more nutrition to the dish. Or, you could turn it into a seafood chowder by adding multiple proteins like shrimp, mussels, crab or fish.
MANHATTAN CLAM CHOWDER serves 6
6 slices bacon, chopped
1/2 cup onion, diced
2 carrots peeled, halved and sliced
2 stalks celery, halved and sliced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup QUALITY tomato paste
1 teaspoon FRESH chopped thyme
1 pound baby russet potatoes
16 ounces bottled clam juice
2 cups homemade chicken broth
28 ounces canned diced tomatoes, DO NOT DRAIN
10 ounces WHOLE baby clams, drained
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons FRESH chopped parsley
oyster crackers
- Heat a large pot over medium heat.
- Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon from the pot and drain on paper towels.
- Add the onions, carrots and celery to the pan.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste, cooking and stirring occasionally 6-8 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
- Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more.
- Add the tomato paste, thyme, clam juice, broth and potatoes to the pot, stirring to combine and bringing to a simmer for 10-15 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
- Stir in the tomatoes and baby clams.
- Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste.
- Simmer for 5 more minutes.
- Stir in the reserved bacon.
- Top with chopped parsley.
- Add oyster crackers and more bacon if desired, then serve.
SLOW COOKER VERSION This dish can easily be adapted to the slow cooker.
- Follow the first 4 steps of the recipe, then transfer the cooked vegetables to a crock pot, along with the tomato paste, seasonings, clam juice, broth and potatoes.
- Cook on low for 4 hours or high for 2 hours, until the potatoes are tender.
- Stir in the clams and tomatoes. Cook for an additional 20 minutes.
- Stir in the bacon and parsley.
