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Rhode Island Clam Chowder
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EasyWhat I discovered in the Florida Keys
I recently returned from a boating trip through the Florida Keys with our friends Barbara and George. What a gorgeous corner of the earth. Our group, swam, snorkeled, dove, fished, paddled boarded and played with dolphins.
I would have brought this amazing dolphin home with me, but he didn't fit in my suitcase.
We ate a lot of great food
Needless to say, we ate a lot of spectacular seafood, including some that we caught ourselves. One night we took our catch to a local spot called Castaway's in Marathon.
This open-air, old-school seafood restaurant buys its catch from local fishermen. They also allow you to bring in your catch and have them cook it for you. My husband and George had spear-fished and brought in a pile of fish and lobsters. So we took them over to Castaway and had them cook us up an enormous feast. Our meal started with the best clam chowder I ever had. It was broth-based, buttery and lemony and not overly creamy or thick, like some New England clam chowders. Of course I begged for the recipe, but they wouldn't reveal it.
Broth-based clam chowder is a third type of clam chowder
I always thought there were just two types of clam chowder: New England (cream based) and Manhattan (tomato based). What I didn't realize is there is a third type of clam chowder called broth-based clam chowder that originated in both Rhode Island (known as Rhode Island clam chowder or South County style clam chowder) as well as another broth based clam chowder from North Carolina (known as Hatteras clam chowder.)
Here is my take on a broth-based Rhode Island clam chowder. I put a lot of my own spin on it. I am not claiming it is authentic, as I don't want to offend any Rhode Islanders, but I will say it is darn good.
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Broth-based Rhode Island clam chowder is suitable for many diets
Broth based clam chowder is light and vegetable dense, and is now my favorite way to make clam chowder. There is no floury roux that is used to thicken New England-style clam chowder, so broth-based clam chowder is gluten free. Broth-based clam chowder can be finished with butter or a little cream or milk, but the dairy is entirely optional, making it suitable for people on dairy-free diets. I personally like to finish it with a few tablespoons of butter and a good squeeze of fresh lemon juice.Fresh or canned clams
If you have access to fresh clams, by all means make this soup with fresh clams. I wrote the recipe trying to keep it simple and easy to make from easily obtainable ingredients. If you keep a few cans of clams and clam juice in your pantry, this soup can be made from staples you may generally keep on hand -- potatoes, carrots and celery. I like Bar Harbor brand clams and clam juice because there are no additives, just clams and sea salt. I add a little chicken stock to stretch the clam juice and mellow it out a bit.
Recipe Update
This recipe was originally published on January 18, 2015 and updated on February 18, 2023. PrintRhode Island clam chowder
Broth based clam chowder is a lighter, vegetable dense version of clam chowder. Made with clams, bacon, potatoes, celery, carrots and lemon juice, this may be your new favorite clam chowder.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 -8 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 4 6.5-ounce cans chopped clams
- 4 slices thick cut bacon, chopped into 1/4” pieces
- 2 cups thinly sliced leeks (white parts only), about 4 medium-sized leeks
- 3 stalks celery, peeled and thinly sliced
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped in a 1/4″ dice
- 2 t fresh thyme, chopped
- 3 8-ounce bottles clam juice
- 1 14.5 ounce can chicken stock
- 2 t Worcestershire sauce
- 4 cups Yukon potatoes, peeled and thinly diced (about 2 pounds)
- 1/2 t crushed red peppers, to taste
- 4 T butter (optional)
- Juice from 1 lemon
- 4 T chopped parsley
Instructions
- Set a fine mesh colander over a bowl and drain clams into the mesh. Reserve clam juice and set juice and clams aside.
- Heat a heavy bottomed soup pot or Dutch oven over medium high and add the bacon. Cook stirring occasionally until crisped. Remove bacon from the pot and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Set aside.
- Add leeks to the residual bacon grease and saute for about 5 minutes, until soft. Add celery, carrots and thyme and continue cooking for another 3 minutes.
- Add clam juice, including the clam juice reserved from the canned clams, chicken stock and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil and add the potatoes. Return to a boil and then reduce heat to medium low. Add the bacon and crushed red peppers to the pot and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.
- When potatoes are done, stir in 4 tablespoons of butter. Add clams, lemon juice and parsley and heat briefly. You do not want to overcook the clams or they become tough and rubbery. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Notes
Serve with garlic bread.
I also rate this a 4. Made it yesterday. Added roughly 1 pound butternut squash cubed, 3-4 cups chopped kale, and a pound of fresh shrimp, shelled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces. Increased liquids to 80 oz. Delightful.
Hi Richard,
Your modifications sound fabulous! Next time I make this soup I’m making it your way. Thank you for sharing.
They don’t use leeks or carrots in Rhode Island to make this chowder. Carrots are out totally, onion is in. It’s a local soup that started here many years before the Boston creamy chowder because dairy wasn’t as trustworthy.
Hi Lorenzo,
It sounds like you are a local Rhode Islander and I am sure you know best, although I have seen one other recipe for Rhode Island Clam Chowder that also used carrots. I did mention in my headnote that I was not sure how my recipe would stack up against traditional Rhode Island clam chowder. I developed this recipe after discovering clear broth clam chowder in the Florida Keys. It was incredibly delicious, but the restaurant was not going to give up the recipe so I went home and developed this one based on my memory of their soup. I loved the clear broth approach compared to overly creamy New England-style clam chowder. In my research I discovered there were several kinds of clear broth clam chowder that developed on the East Coast, including Rhode Island clam chowder and Hatteras clam chowder from North Carolina. I love the history you site regarding the unreliability of dairy as the reason Rhode Island clam chowder soup developed. My apologies for any affront to tradition. Perhaps I should have more accurately named my chowder Newport Beach, California Clam Chowder! Thank you for writing in. I learn something new from my readers every day.
NO Carrots, Ever. This is a modified version, not a true RI chowder.
Who puts chicken broth in clam chowder. No one in RI, Conn., or NY
Hi BC — I totally get your comment and appreciate your feedback. I’m not from the North East and I don’t claim this to be an authentic regional recipe, I just claim it to be good. You may have missed my comment in the head notes. I developed the recipe after I had a wonderful broth-based clam chowder in the Florida keys. I did a lot of research on different types of clam chowder and felt my recipe was closest to Rhode Island-style clam chowder. When I developed the recipe I was focused on taste and not regional authenticity. This is my statement in the head notes of the recipe: “Here is my take on a broth-based Rhode Island style clam chowder. I am not claiming it is authentic, as I don’t want to offend any Rhode Islanders, but I will say it is darn good.” I’d love to know what you put in your clam chowder!
Wow!! Folks are so feisty!! You did state that it was “Your take…”, and did NOT claim authenticity… Well, I’ll be making this chowder this weekend to round out the seafood portion of my 4th of July cookout. The recipe sounds super flavorful and easy to make. I’ll let you know what my crowd had to say. 🙂
Hi Marilyn, I’d love to hear how you liked the chowder. People are very protective about recipes. Many want to protect the cultural tradition of a recipe and others will never share a secret family recipe. While others, like myself, will always share recipes. By definition, that is what I do with my blog. I also will take a traditional recipe or someone else’s recipe and give it a personal twist. I do my very best to let readers know the tradition behind the recipe and that it is my take on a traditional recipe, or my variation on someone else’s recipe. When I make my variation I do it with the utmost respect to the culture or individual that originated the recipe. I am grateful for what came before me and want to give credit where credit is due. I personally think recipes evolve over time and that is one of the things that make them wonderful.
I would simmer some onion, red bell pepper and carrots in butter and oil …, about half tender then start with the broth. And your chicken stock will do nicely paired with the clam juice.. or not.. but I bet it’s a ringer… make it your own!
Hi Ken, thanks for the encouragement. I know the idea of chicken stock and clams is verboten to many people. I find it works well. I just made some steamed clams with white wine, chicken stock, lemon juice and a touch of cream and oh my it was good! There are good reasons to follow cooking traditions and there are good reasons to branch off and do what tastes good to you.