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New England Clam Chowder ~ Lepp Farm Market


A few weeks ago I enjoyed a bowl of New England Clam Chowder by Charlotte Lepp.  I absolutely loved it and when she told me the recipe was on their website I knew I would be following it exactly the way the recipe is listed.  I went to Lepp Farm Market and bought all the ingredients and made it at home.  Now that I've discovered their frozen clam meat, I have a bunch of recipes I'm looking forward to trying.  

  • 6 slices Lepp's bacon, diced
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 5 large potatoes (about 2 1/2 pound cubed) have you tried their German Butter Potatoes? They are perfect for this recipe since they won't lose their shape. They are also amazing for roasted potatoes.
  • 2-3 stalks celery, chopped (add the leafy bits from the middle of the stalk)
  • 2-3 carrots, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth (Lepp's sells their own)
  • 1 Tablespoon Chesapeake Bay Seasoning (similar to Old Bay but without as much salt)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 Tablespoon Little Saigon Gluten Free fish sauce (Char adds this to the soup because the clams are not packed in liquid, if you are using canned clams, use the liquid from that instead)
  • 340-gram package Ocean's Mama Clam Meat, chopped while partially frozen and thawed
  • 2 cups whole milk, evaporated milk or whipping cream (if you use lower-fat milk, it will be fine but may not have as smooth of a texture that fuller fat dairy has. I make it successfully with whole milk.
  1. In a large pot, saute bacon until slightly crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon, leaving bacon grease in the pan.  (if you are not using good quality bacon, you may have more grease than is necessary. In that case, leave only enough in the pan to cook your vegetables)
  2. Add onions, carrots celery and garlic and saute until softened, about 5 minutes.
  3. Add Chesapeake Bay Seasoning and saute 2 more minutes to allow spices to bloom. 
  4. Add potatoes, cooked bacon and stock and bring to a simmer.  Cook for 20 minutes, until potatoes are tender.  With a potato masher, partly mash potatoes to desired chunkiness.
  5. Add clams, fish sauce, and milk or whipping cream and bring to a gentle simmer.  Taste and add salt and pepper to taste.



5 comments:

  1. German Butter Potatoes, if these are also known as German Butterball Potatoes, as wonderful. We usually buy the 1 to 2 inch size and grill them at least once a week during the summer. Grew some in our garden last year that we let get bigger. They kept well for a few months in our basement storage space. Great boiled, mashed, and smashed toasted. Really a great variety of potato.

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  2. I normally love your recipes, however, this one misses the mark. I am a native Bay Stater and New England clam chowder is never made with chicken stock, celery, garlic or carrots. Missing is the clam juice/broth, butter. The potatoes are never mashed, simply cubed and simmered in the clam juice/cream "broth" of the soup. Must be served with a pat of butter placed in the finished soup pot is melted. Oyster crackers or saltines in a pinch, accompany.

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    Replies
    1. I'm sure yours is truly wonderful and I would love to try an original recipe! Thanks for sharing. I think that the reason that chicken stock is used in this recipe is that it is more affordable. I'll be adding a pat of butter to my soup next time!

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  3. Chicken broth and bacon in New England Clam Chowder?? I am guessing those were just added to use more of the store products. My father's grandparents settled here from Boston and my father's mother is also a Boston girl. Every Friday night was clam chowder for dinner. My Grandma did often use salt pork in her cooking to fry up the onions etc but that is not bacon.

    I am sure there could be regional variations...I am just familiar with Boston clam chowder.

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  4. Lovella - this looks amazing and I would love to try this recipe. We love seafood chowders and tried having it as much as possible while in Florida just recently. On our way through South Carolina we also discovered She-Crab soup - yummy!

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