Gluten Free Clam Chowder {Creamy Tomato Connecticut Chowder}

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The delicious gluten free clam chowder is a mashup of the best parts of the tomato-based Manhattan Chowder and the creamy New England Chowder.

My podcast guest Craig Fear tried this recipe in a restaurant near his childhood home in Long Island. He felt it was gimmicky - just a scoop of both soups into one bowl. But he loved the controversial nature of the soup (it ruffles the feathers of both New Englanders and Manhattanites!) and intuitively understood that there was a lot of potential in the creamy tomato combination!!

For me and my family? No controversy at all - we loved it!! Seconds were enjoyed all around!!

Questions About Gluten-Free Creamy Tomato Clam Chowder

The recipe calls for Cherrystone or Quahog clams. What's the difference?

Cherrystone clams are smaller the Quahog clams. Generally, there are only 2-3 Quahog clams per pound and 7-8 Cherrystones per pound. I didn't plan ahead in time to procure either, so these images all feature Littleneck clams, which are the smallest and the sweetest. These had 14-15 per pound. 

Is clam chowder soup healthy?

Clams by themselves are extremely healthy. They are an excellent source of protein and very high in critical vitamins and minerals like B12, iron, zinc, and selenium. When you turn them into a chowder, you get to control the health of that chowder by refining the recipe to your preferences. 

Generally speaking, a New England Clam Chowder is full of butter, bacon, and cream, which is fine in a moderate diet, but easy to overdue. A Manhattan Clam Chowder is tomato-based and full of vegetables, so it's certainly a lower-fat alternative. Rhode Island Clam Chowder often includes bacon and potatoes, which again, are both beneficial in moderation, but violate the rules of some diets. This particular Connecticut Clam Chowder is a mashup of all three. Accordingly, there are wonderful health benefits to this gluten-free chowder, and the full-fat flavors can be minimized if you prefer. All in all, clam chowder is a wonderful thing to include in a healthy, moderate diet!  

How do you open clams?

I was so intimidated by this question when I approached this recipe, but it turns out opening clams couldn't be any easier. Simply submerge them in water, boil (watch carefully, will take less than 10 minutes) and they'll open themselves!!! Bonus! The broth created when the clams open and release their liquor is delicious and healthy. The broth will be cloudy, grey, and briney. Strain it carefully as it will also contain sand and possibly small bits of shell.

About Craig, Contributor of this Creamy Tomato Gluten Free Clam Chowder Recipe

Why does the US have 90,000 miles of coastland yet import the majority of its most of seafood? This is the question that leaped off the page at me when I read New England Soups from the Sea, by my podcast guest, Craig Fear. 

Craig is the author of 3 soup cookbooks, blogger at Fearless Eating, and a board member of the New England-based seafood non-profit, Eating with the Ecosystem, which promotes a place-based approach to consuming seafood. Craig fell in love with soups during his travels to East Asia but in his most recent cookbook, New England Soups from the Sea, he returns to his roots. To call this book a cookbook is a bit of a disservice, however, because it is also a commentary on the historical, social, and financial reasons that the US neglects the abundance of seafood on its shores (we have more square acreage available for fishing than for farming!), a primer on the types and uses of our seafood, and only then a huge collection of historic New England soup and chowder recipes. 

Learn More About Craig and New England Soups

Why the US has 90,000 Miles of Coastland But Imports the Majority of Its Seafood

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More About This Chowder From Craig

Here's the original post Craig wrote for his Long Island Clam Chowder. 

More Seafood Recipes

Recipe

Creamy Tomato Connecticut Clam Chowder {Gluten Free Clam Chowder}

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5 from 2 reviews

• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings 1x

Print Recipe

Description

The delicious quahog chowder (clam chowder) is a mashup of the best parts of the tomato-based Manhattan Chowder and the creamy New England Chowder.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 3 cups hard-shell clam broth (see below)
• 7 pounds to 8 pounds large cherrystones or small quahog clams (NOTE: smaller littlenecks are in these images. Those are OK too, but not Craig's original recipe.)
• 4 ounces fatty slab bacon (about 4 large strips) or salt pork, roughly diced into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons to 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, optional
• 1 large yellow onion, (or 2 medium onions) roughly diced into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 celery stalks, roughly diced into 1/2-inch pieces
• 4 fresh thyme sprigs, leaves removed and stems discarded
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 garlic cloves, roughly diced
• One 14-ounce can diced tomatoes in juices
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 pound potatoes, roughly chopped into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 cup to 2 cups heavy cream or half-and-half
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Optional Seasonings, to taste

• Freshly ground black pepper
• Salt pork cracklings or bacon bits
• Fresh parsley, chopped
• Fresh chives, chopped
• Hot sauce of your choice

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Instructions

Cue Up The Episode!

Make sure to listen to Craig Fear on The Storied Recipe Podcast: "The US has 90,000 Miles of Shoreline. So Why Does It Import the Majority of Its Seafood?" while you make his Gluten-Free Tomato and Cream Clam Chowder recipe!

Make The Recipe

Make The Clam Broth

1. Simply submerge the clams under 3 cups of water.
2. Use a wide stockpot so clams are not overly stacked on one another. Boil until clams open.
3. Sieve the broth into another pot. It should be grey, cloudy, and brine-y. Craig says it should make your mouth pucker!

Cook The Meat 

1. Heat the bacon in a medium stockpot over low heat until a few tablespoons of fat render out. Drain and heat to medium and brown the meatier pieces, being careful not to burn them.
2. Remove and reserve the browned pieces but leave the fat in the pot. Before serving the chowder, you can reheat the crispy browned cracklings from the salt port or the bits from the bacon and add them as a topping.

Cook The Vegetables

1. In the same pot, add the butter, if needed, for additional cooking fat. Add the onion, celery, thyme, bay leaf, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Sauté 5 to 7 minutes over medium heat, until the vegetables are softened. Add the garlic last minute.

Assemble The Soup

1. Add 3 cups of the clam broth, tomatoes, and tomato paste to the cooked vegetables and bring to a boil.
2. Add the potatoes, cover the pot, and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked through.
3. Add 1 cup of the heavy cream and taste. Add up to 1 more cup of heavy cream to your desired taste. Remove the pot from the heat.
4. Chop the clams roughly into quarters or halves and stir into the chowder. Leave a few of the smaller clams whole, if desired.
5. Ladle into individual bowls and add optional seasonings to taste.

Notes

Make sure to listen to Craig Fear on The Storied Recipe Podcast: "The US has 90,000 Miles of Shoreline. So Why Does It Import the Majority of Its Seafood?" while you make his Gluten Free Tomato and Cream Clam Chowder recipe!

• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Category: Main, Soups
• Cuisine: American, New England

Nutrition

• Calories: 399
• Sugar: 5
• Sodium: 703
• Fat: 27
• Saturated Fat: 14
• Carbohydrates: 23
• Fiber: 3
• Protein: 17
• Cholesterol: 91