Whether it’s a rainy summer afternoon like we had today in Southampton or a cool autumn evening, New England Clam Chowder is a year round favorite. My New England Clam Chowder Recipe doesn’t call for a lot of herbs and spices. It is simple and really celebrates the flavor of the clams, the delicious simplicity of creamy potatoes and of course a little kick of spice from fresh ground black pepper. Another ingredient that sets my New England clam chowder apart from a lot of other recipes, is a few shakes of Tabasco sauce. I love it because it gives acid and just a little bit of heat beneath those traditional creamy flavors.

New England Clam Chowder Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 1 medium onion, finely diced

• 2 celery stalks, quartered lengthwise, cubed. Set tender celery leaves aside to chop and serve as garnish on your finished Clam Chowder

• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 2 cups water

• 4 6.5 ounce cans of chopped clams + juice

• 8 fl ounces of clam juice

• 1 cup heavy cream

• 2 large russet potatoes, cut into 1/2- inch cubes

• 2 teaspoons salt

• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 6-8 shakes of Tabasco

New England Clam Chowder Instructions

• place butter in a large sauté pan over medium high heat

• add onions and celery and sweat out for approxiamately 4 minutes (until onions reach a nice translucent color, try to avoid any browning)

• add all purpose flour and incorporate evenly with the onions and celery

• add a few grinds of black pepper

• next, add clam juice, clams with clam juice, and one cup of water to the mixture. bring to a boil

• drop potatoes into the mixture. bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer allowing the potatoes to cook until soft. add another cup of water. cooking potatoes until soft will take approximately 12 minutes. note: be sure to stir occasionally to keep potatoes from sticking to the bottom of the pan and burning

• after the potatoes are soft, bring soup to a boil again and add the cream, stirring all ingredients together

• reduce to simmer and add more fresh ground black pepper

• finally, add a few shakes of Tabasco sauce to the clam chowder for some acid and just a little bit of heat

• ladle clam chowder into bowls and top with chopped celery leaves and oyster crackers