Clam chowder is one of my favorite comfort foods that I don’t get to enjoy often enough now that we no longer live in the San Francisco Bay Area. A big sourdough bread bowl full of creamy clam chowder is one of San Francisco’s quintessential food treasures. I don’t know why, but I’d never really thought about making clam chowder myself until a few months ago when the February issue of Coastal Living showed up in my mailbox. CL didn’t just have a recipe for clam chowder, they had a lighter version that would be perfectly acceptable for my calorie counting husband!
I first made this recipe using canned clams to save a little money and time. To get around using the clams cooking liquid, called for in the original recipe, I substituted equal parts chicken broth. The base of the soup and vegetables were wonderfully flavorful, but those canned clams were a huge disappointment. Their rubbery texture and lack of flavor left the clams completely inedible.
I had to try again, this time using fresh clams as instructed in the original recipe. I also left out the chicken broth and used the cooking liquid from steaming the clams. I’ll admit that I was a little squeamish about cooking those cute, little, live clams. Chris, on the other hand, was fascinated by them. As I scrubbed sand off the shells, Chris dug through the bag of clams, looking for any shells that were partly open so that he could gently tap on the shell and watch them slam shut. All the while, I kept picturing the little oysters from The Walrus and the Carpenter in Alice in Wonderland.
It turns out that the extra effort and cost of using fresh clams paid off in the end though! The clams had the slightly chewy texture I was expecting without be overly rubbery and the flavor of fresh clams doesn’t even compare to that of the canned clam. There was one part of my first attempt of this clam chowder recipe that I preferred to the second attempt and that was the soup’s base. Using the cooking liquid from steaming the fresh clams gave the chowder a grainy texture and muddy flavor. I much preferred the clean flavor from using the chicken broth. There will still be plenty of seafood flavor in the chowder from the bottle of clam juice and, of course, the fresh clams!
This recipe may not have the traditional creamy texture typically found in clam chowder, but the flavor is just as good and without all the added fat and calories!
Lighter Clam Chowder
Printable Version
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients:
4 dozen clams in shells, scrubbed
2 slices bacon, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 medium sized onion, chopped
1 celery rib, with leaves, chopped
1 cup chicken broth
1 (8 ounce) bottle clam juice
1 cup frozen whole kernel corn
3/4 pound red potatoes, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
3 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
3 tablespoons all-purpose four
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
Directions:
In a large skillet, bring 1 cup of water to a boil. Add clams, cover, and steam 5 to 7 minutes or until shells open. Discard any shells that do not open. Drain clams and set aside.
In a medium pot, cook bacon over medium-high heat until crisp. Drain bacon on paper towels reserving drippings in pot.
Saute carrots, onion, and celery in bacon drippings over medium-high heat until tender, about 5 minutes. Add chicken broth, clam juice, corn, potatoes, and seasonings; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 8 minutes.
Meanwhile, shuck clams and coarsely chop the meat. In small bowl, whisk milk and flour together. Add milk to pot and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, making sure not to boil. Add bacon and clams and cook until just heated through, about 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in parsley.
Source: Adapted from Coastal Living
Nutritional Information:*
per serving (2 cups) : 369 calories; 45 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams fat; 32 grams protein; 3 grams fiber
*These calculations are for educational purposes only and can vary according to a particular brands product formulation. Check labels for more information and follow the advice of your healthcare provider.
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