A delicious rustic and brothy tomato-based chowder, brimming with fresh topneck clams and packed with vegetables. Manhattan Clam Chowder is a hearty and abundant soup with so much flavor to offer, and guaranteed to be a hit with seafood lovers.
Looking for more delicious classic soups? Try our Classic Pasta Fagioli or Classic Italian Minestrone!
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Is Manhattan Clam Chowder really from Manhattan?
Short answer: Sort of. It's likely from a combination of Italian and Portuguese immigrants. Immigrants from Rhode Island would visit the Fulton Street Fish Market in NY and the influence of tomatoes and tomato-based stews and sauces influenced the recipe.
Over time, it gradually became known as "Manhattan Clam Chowder" to differentiate from its creamy chowder cousin, New England Clam Chowder. Like other recipes that are influenced by European immigrants, this one gradually formed over time in the Americas.
A lot of Italian-American recipes have the same story, like Italian Wedding Soup or Spicy Chicken Riggies. While anybody living in Italy will tell you these recipes aren't "authentic", they are authentic to the Italian-American immigrant experience.
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Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Topneck Clams. Topnecks are large enough to add some heartiness to an otherwise brothy soup. You could substitute little neck clams, but you'll need to add extra!
- Passata. I like to go with the smooth texture of passata as opposed to crushed tomatoes. It makes the soup slightly creamier, which this version of clam chowder can lack without potatoes, like New England Clam Chowder
- Tomato Paste. Tomato paste will help thicken the soup and also add an intense tomato flavor to the soup after being caramelized.
- White Wine. I pair seafood dishes with a sauvignon blanc. It's crisp and light and can be perfect to enjoy with Manhattan clam chowder as well.
- Pancetta. I like the more subtle flavor of pancetta instead of bacon. Unless you use a really thick cut of bacon, I find that it gets really soggy compared to pancetta.
- White Clam Sauce. White clam sauce is a great addition to the soup because it adds more clams and can make the soup a bit heartier. 0
- Parm rind. Parm rind is a great addition to any soup. It adds a subtle nutty flavor to the soup.
*Please see the recipe card below for more information on the ingredients.
How to Make Manhattan Clam Chowder
Follow the numbered steps below and use the images as your guide.
Step 1: Add the pancetta to the large pot. Raise the heat to medium and fry the pancetta until golden-brown for about 8 minutes.
Step 2: Don't remove the oil and add the celery, onions, and carrots to the pot. Sauté until softened, about 5 minutes.
Step 3: Add the garlic and sauté for another 2 minutes, until the garlic is noticeably fragrant.
Step 4: Stir in the tomato paste and saute for 3 more minutes to caramelize the paste.
Step 5: Pour in the white wine to deglaze the bottom of the pan. Bring to a simmer and scrape the bottom of the pan. Then add the passata and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes.
Step 6-8 should be completed at the same time you're working on Step 1-5
Step 6: Scrub and rinse the clams. Purge if wild caught*. *See pro-tips below
Step 7a: Add the water, ½ cup white wine, and juice from 1 lemon to a pot. Add the clams and raise the heat to medium-high. Steam the clams covered until they begin to open.
Step 7b: Remove the clams as they open and set them aside. Strain the liquid into a measuring cup and set aside.
Step 8: Chop the clams and set them aside.
Step 9: Pour in the chicken stock, the can of white clam sauce, bay leaves, parmesan rind, and the liquid from the steamed clams. The liquid from the clams needs to be strained as shown above.
Step 10: Bring to a simmer for 20 minutes.
Step 11: Add the chopped clams and the spinach to the soup and cover for 3 minutes on low heat. Stir in the wilted spinach. Serve with chopped parsley and oyster crackers or our Homemade Italian Parmesan Croutons.
Manhattan Clam Chowder is perfect to serve along with a vegetable sandwich like Eggplant Caprese Grilled Cheese or Gruyere Grilled Cheese.
Pro-Tips
- Scrub and rinse clams. You want to make sure you get any sand and debris out of the clams. If they are wild-caught, you'll want to purge the clams to make sure there is no remaining sand! I go into detail on how to purge clams in my Italian Stuffed Baked Clams recipe.
- Chop vegetables thick. Manhattan Clam Chowder is a brothy chowder, so I like to have bigger cut veggies to add more texture and substance to the soup.
- Always fry pancetta starting from a cold pan. This will allow the fat to render before the meat starts frying.
- Add extra clams. You can use all fresh clams, but I like to add a white clam sauce with clams for extra clams and flavor to the soup.
- Make your own clam stock. Use the liquid you steam the clams in, to make your own clam stock to add to the soup. Just make sure to strain it first.
- Add your chopped clams at the end. If you simmer them for 20 minutes with the rest of the soup, they'll just get rubbery and more chewy.
Recipe FAQs
Manhattan clam chowder has a tomato base, whereas New England clam chowder is a cream-based soup made with a roux and potatoes. Both use medium-sized clams like Topneck Clams.
Passata is a strained tomato puree, so it's really smooth. It gives the soup a creamy texture, which can be harder to achieve if you substitute crushed tomatoes or a plain tomato puree.
A combination of New York and Rhode Island, likely stemming from Portuguese and Italian immigrants.
It's a rich and savory uncured pork. It has a subtle sweet flavor and goes perfectly with this soup. Skip the bacon and go with pancetta.
More Delicious Seafood Classics
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📖 Recipe
Manhattan Clam Chowder
Equipment
- 2 large pots
- 1 strainer or sieve
Ingredients
- 18 top neck clams
- ¼ lb pancetta, chopped
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, sliced
- 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1.5 cups passata
- 2 cups clam juice
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 12 oz can white clam juice
- 1 lemon
- 1 cup white wine
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 parmesan rind
- 2 cups spinach
Instructions
Manhattan Clam Chowder
- Add the pancetta to the large pot. Raise the heat to medium and fry the pancetta until golden-brown for about 8 minutes. Add the celery, onions, and carrots to the pot. Saute until softened about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic to the pot and saute for another 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and saute for 3 more minutes to caramelize the paste.
- Pour in the white wine to deglaze the bottom of the pan. Bring to a simmer and scrape the bottom of the pan. Then add the passata and return the soup to a simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Pour in the chicken stock, the can of white clam sauce, bay leaves, parmesan rind, and the liquid from the steamed clams. Bring to a simmer for 20 minutes.
- Add the chopped clams and the spinach to the soup and cover for 3 minutes on low heat. Stir in the spinach.
- Serve with chopped parsley and oyster crackers.
Steaming clams
- Scrub and rinse the clams. Add the water, ½ cup white wine, and juice from 1 lemon to a pot. Add the clams and raise the heat to medium-high.
- Steam the clams until they begin to open. Remove the clams as they begin to open and set them aside. Strain the liquid into a measuring cup and set aside.
- Chop the clams and set them aside.
Notes
- Scrub and rinse clams. You want to make sure you get any sand and debris out of the clams. If they are wild-caught, you'll want to purge the clams to make sure there is no remaining sand! I go into detail on how to purge clams in my Italian Stuffed Baked Clams recipe.
- Chop vegetables thick. Manhattan Clam Chowder is a brothy chowder, so I like to have bigger cut veggies to add more texture and substance to the soup.
- Always fry pancetta starting from a cold pan. This will allow the fat to render before the meat starts frying.
- Add extra clams. You can use all fresh clams, but I like to add a white clam sauce with clams for extra clams and flavor to the soup.
- Make your own clam stock. Use the liquid you steam the clams in, to make your own clam stock to add to the soup. Just make sure to strain it first.
- Add your chopped clams at the end. If you simmer them for 20 minutes with the rest of the soup, they'll just get rubbery and more chewy.
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