Manhattan Style Clam Chowder

A Manhattan-style clam chowder with potatoes, onions, celery, carrots, and topped with a bit of bacon.

We really like New England Clam Chowder around here, so I thought I'd give the Manhattan style a try too. Afterall, they're both clam chowders - if one's good, the other should be too, right? Well, as I found out, they're totally different. Instead of the creamy, dairy based New England style, the Manhattan-style Clam Chowder is more of a broth based soup. You start with a clear broth, and add in tomatoes. The addition of tomatoes is perhaps influenced by the Portuguese, who often combine seafood with tomatoes. This Manhattan-style clam chowder is completely different from your creamy New England Clam Chowder. It's actually quite tasty, but don't try making it in Maine - it's a statutory and culinary offense to add tomatoes to chowder there!

What's your favorite "style" of Clam Chowder?

Manhattan Style Clam Chowder

by CJ Huang

A Manhattan-style clam chowder with potatoes, onions, celery, carrots, and topped with a bit of bacon.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Yield: 6 servings

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Number	Material	Notes
			2 slices	bacon, crisped and crumbled	or bacon bits
			2	bay leaves
			2	carrots, cut into thin coins
			2 stalks	celery, sliced
			2 cloves	garlic, minced
			1	onion, diced
			2 dozen	clams, cooked and juices retained
		1/2 teaspoon		thyme
	14 ounces			tomatoes, diced
	1 pound			potatoes, chunked

Methods:

1. Gather all materials.
2. Cook onions, carrots, and celery in a bit of oil until fragrant, adding garlic towards the end.
3. Add remaining materials and simmer until potatoes cooked.
4. Crumble bacon on top (or sprinkle bacon bits on top).