Clam Chowder in Sourdough Bowl
intro
Rich, creamy New England-style clam chowder brimming with tender clams, potatoes, and smoky bacon, served in crusty toasted sourdough bowls for a cozy, iconic coastal meal.
Ingredients
Steps
Steam fresh clams
Place scrubbed, debearded 900g littleneck clams in a large stockpot with 120ml (½ cup) water over medium-high heat. Cover and steam for 5-7 minutes, shaking the pot once halfway through cooking, until all clams have opened fully. Discard any clams that remain closed, as these are unsafe to eat. Strain the steaming liquid through a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth to remove grit, reserving 480ml (2 cups) of liquid; top up with bottled clam juice if you do not have enough reserved liquid. Remove clam meat from shells, roughly chop half the meat and leave the other half whole, then set aside.
Prep sourdough bowls
Take 4 round 6-inch (15cm) sourdough boules, use a serrated knife to cut a 10cm (4-inch) wide circle 2cm deep into the top of each loaf, lifting off the crusty top cap. Scoop out the soft inner bread with a spoon, leaving a 1.5cm (½-inch) thick crust wall along the sides and bottom to prevent leaks; reserve the scooped soft bread for dipping. Place hollowed bowls and top caps on a rimmed baking sheet, bake at 175°C (350°F) for 8 minutes until inner walls are lightly toasted and crisp, then set aside.
Sauté bacon and aromatics
Place a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium heat, add the diced 113g thick-cut bacon. Cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until bacon is crisp and has rendered all its fat. Use a slotted spoon to transfer bacon bits to a paper-towel lined plate, leaving 2 tablespoons of bacon fat in the pot. Add 2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter to the remaining fat, then add 150g diced yellow onion and 100g diced celery, cooking for 4 minutes until soft and translucent. Add 9g minced garlic, cook for 30 seconds until fragrant, taking care not to burn the garlic.
Make roux and simmer
Sprinkle 3 tablespoons (24g) all-purpose flour over the cooked aromatics, stir constantly for 2 minutes over medium-low heat to cook out the raw flour taste, creating a smooth, light golden roux. Slowly whisk in the reserved 480ml clam juice, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, and 1 whole bay leaf, stirring constantly to prevent lumps from forming. Bring the liquid to a gentle simmer, then add 300g 1cm-cubed Yukon gold potatoes. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 10-12 minutes until potatoes are fork-tender but not falling apart.
Finish creamy chowder
Remove and discard the bay leaf from the pot. Stir in 240ml (1 cup) heavy cream, the reserved crisp bacon bits, and the prepared clam meat (both chopped and whole). Stir gently to combine, then heat over low heat for 3-4 minutes until the chowder is fully heated through; do not bring to a rolling boil, as high heat will curdle the cream. Season with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, tasting to adjust seasoning as needed.
Assemble and serve
Set the pre-toasted sourdough bowls on individual dinner plates (to catch any accidental drips while eating). Ladle 375ml (1.5 cups) of hot chowder into each sourdough bowl, top each serving with ½ tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley, and lean the toasted bread cap against the side of the bowl. Serve immediately with the reserved scooped sourdough chunks for extra dipping.
Tips
2.Maintain low heat when warming the cream in the chowder—boiling will cause the dairy to curdle, resulting in a grainy, unappealing texture.
3.When hollowing the sourdough bowls, do not scrape the crust too thin; a 1.5cm (½-inch) thick wall will prevent chowder from leaking through the bread as you eat.
OMG this chowder is INSANE. I made it for our Sunday family dinner last night and even my super picky 7 year old asked for seconds! The sourdough bowl trick is such a game changer—soaked up all that creamy, briny goodness perfectly. I did add a tiny extra pinch of Old Bay because we love that extra kick, but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. 10/10, will be making this for our neighborhood potluck next month!
I was skeptical about a creamy chowder since I usually do tomato-based Manhattan style, but my wife begged me to try this for our anniversary dinner. Y’all, this is SO good. The clam flavor isn’t overpowering, the potato to clam ratio is perfect, and serving it in sourdough made it feel like a fancy restaurant meal for a fraction of the cost. Only note: make sure you chop the potatoes pretty small so they cook in the time listed, I cut mine too big and had to add 10 minutes to the simmer time.
Perfect for weekly meal prep! I made a big batch on Sunday, skipped the bread bowls for the weekday servings (kept those for our Saturday night treat) and the chowder reheated like an absolute dream in the microwave. No weird curdling, no separated cream, just that same rich, cozy flavor all week. Saved so much money not grabbing soup from the café down the street for lunch every day!
I made the chowder base last night using GF all-purpose flour for the roux and it was incredible! Only thing I’m missing is the sourdough bowl—has anyone had luck using a gluten-free sourdough loaf for the bowls? I’m worried they’ll be too crumbly to hold the chowder.
This tastes exactly like the chowder I grew up eating on Cape Cod as a kid! I was worried the recipe would be too complicated for a weeknight meal since it’s marked medium difficulty, but the steps were super straightforward and came together right at 50 minutes like the recipe said. Pro tip: save the little bits of sourdough you scoop out of the bowl to toast up as croutons for topping! Zero waste, maximum flavor.