Soups American

Seraphina’s Red Clam Chowder

A tomato, clam and potato chowder with bacon, vegetables, fish stock and Tabasco. The original page calls it Boston in the title while describing a red Manhattan-style chowder. Rather than start a chowder civil war, Spoon & Scribble is calling it what it actually is: red clam chowder.

Seraphina’s Red Clam Chowder

What It Is

This is a red clam chowder with bacon, onion, carrots, leek, bell pepper, garlic, tomatoes, potatoes, fish stock, clam juice and Tabasco.

Origin

Tomato-based clam chowder is most strongly associated with Manhattan-style clam chowder, while Boston and New England chowders are typically cream-based. The source page conflicts with itself, so this version is honestly labelled a red clam chowder.

Fun Fact

Unlike creamy New England-style clam chowder, Manhattan-style chowder traditionally uses a tomato-based broth.

Prep
25 min
Cook
50 min
Temp
Stovetop simmer
Total
1 hr 15 min
Servings
6 hearty bowls
(2 if company's coming and you're only pretending to like them)
Difficulty
moderate
Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Nut-Free High-Protein
Diet
Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Nut-Free, High-Protein
Away Mission
90 min walk
(about one moderately tense turbolift ride)
#atlantic #clams #manhattan-style #red-clam-chowder #seafood #tomato

Ingredients

  • 2 strips bacon, diced
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1½ cups onion, finely diced
  • ¾ cup diced carrot
  • ½ cup leek, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup bell pepper, diced
  • 1 tbsp minced garlic
  • 1 cup diced tomatoes
  • 12 oz tomato purée
  • 1 bay leaf
  • ½ tsp chopped fresh thyme
  • 1 lb red potatoes, diced
  • 2½ cups fish stock
  • 1 can clam juice
  • 2 cans baby clams in juice
  • 4 dashes Tabasco sauce
  • Celery is referenced in the method but no amount is listed in the source

Steps

  1. Place a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook until the fat renders and the bacon is nearly crisp, about 4 minutes.
  2. Add olive oil, onion, carrots, leek and bell pepper. If adding celery, use an amount of your choice because the source gives no quantity. Sauté until very soft, 10–15 minutes.
  3. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes.
  4. Add diced tomatoes, tomato purée, bay leaf, thyme and potatoes.
  5. Add fish stock and clam juice. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook about 30 minutes, until potatoes are fork-tender.
  6. Add clams with their juice and Tabasco. Simmer several minutes more and season to taste.
  7. Serve with crusty bread or crackers.

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Notes

The source title says 'Boston' while its description and recipe are tomato-based, which aligns more closely with Manhattan-style chowder. The source method also mentions celery, but celery is missing from the printed ingredient list, so no quantity has been invented.

Nutrition Facts
Per 1 hearty bowl
Calories 400
Burning this off: one beer-league hockey game, including the fighting.
% Daily Value*
Fat 7.0 g 9%
Saturated + Trans 1.5 g 8%
Cholesterol 380 mg
Sodium 630 mg 27%
Carbohydrate 33.0 g
Fibre 6.0 g 21%
Sugars 10.0 g 10%
Protein 54.0 g
Potassium 1470 mg 31%
Calcium 180 mg 14%
Iron 3.0 mg 17%
*5% or less is a little, 15% or more is a lot. Sodium levels calculated in a country with universal healthcare — and it's free, so don't worry about it too much.
A genuinely respectable nutrition profile. No red flags here — go ahead and feel a little smug about it.

Substitutions

Use vegetable stock plus extra clam juice instead of fish stock. Add celery if desired; the method includes celery even though the printed ingredient list omits it. Increase Tabasco for more heat.

Storage

Refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 2 days.

Freezing

Freeze in airtight containers for up to 2 months. Potato texture may soften slightly after thawing.