Perfect Clam Chowder

Happy first day of November! In honor or soup season, I just had to share my recipe for clam chowder. I have been making it for several years now, and it is absolutely scrumptious. My family begs for me to make it for them. There are several steps, but there is nothing complicated about the recipe. It guarantees to make your tummy happy!

Ingredients

6 pieces of thick-cut bacon
6 cups of half-and-half
3 tbsp. flour
1 tbsp. Old Bay seasoning
3 cans of clams
1 jar of clam juice
2 large potatoes
1/2 cup of shredded parmesan cheese
salt & pepper

Start by peeling and dicing the potatoes into bite-sized pieces. Put diced potatoes in a small pot of salted water and bring to a boil.

While the potatoes are heating up, dice 6 strips of thick-cut bacon.

Add the bacon to a large pot. Over medium-high heat, stir the bacon with a wooden spoon continuously. You want the bacon to get brown and crispy around the edges. This usually takes 7 to 10 minutes.

Once the bacon has started to crisp, add 3 tbsp. of flour and 1 tbsp. of Old Bay seasoning. Whisk into the bacon.

To the flour mixture, add the jar of clam juice. Open the cans of clams, and with the lid still on, pour just the juice into the pot. Reserve the clams for later. You don’t want them to cook too long. Whisk everything together until there are no lumps of flour visible.

Pour 6 cups of half-and-half into the pot and whisk. You can substitute whole milk or a combination of whole milk, half-and-half, or heavy cream–just make sure you have 6 cups of liquid.

Add salt and pepper to taste. Keep whisking until the mixture starts to thicken–about 10 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of shredded parmesan cheese and stir until the cheese is melted into the chowder.