Low Carb Manhattan Clam Chowder
A brothy, tomato-based clam chowder with turnips standing in for potatoes. Smoky bacon, fresh thyme, and a little heat give it big flavor, and it's low carb and slow carb friendly.
Servings: 8 (about 1 1/2 cups each)
Calories: 176kcal
Ingredients
- 3 10-oz cans chopped clams drained, juice reserved
- 2 ½ cups bottled clam juice
- ¼ pound bacon
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 1 large yellow onion coarsely chopped
- 2 large stalks celery chopped
- 4 small carrots peeled and chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 bay leaves
- ¼ teaspoon celery seed
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme leaves chopped (1 tsp)
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 pound turnips peeled and cut into 1" cubes
- ½ cup chicken stock
- 1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
- 2 small sun dried tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon hot sauce
- freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- Drain the clams over a large measuring cup or bowl, saving the juice. Cover the clams and refrigerate them until the end. Add bottled clam juice to the drained juice until you have 4 1/2 cups total.3 10-oz cans chopped clams , 2 1/2 cups bottled clam juice
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium heat until golden and crispy, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon to drain on paper towels and pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat.1/4 pound bacon
- Add the butter to the pot, then the onion, celery, and carrots. Cook, stirring often, for about 10 minutes, until the vegetables are soft but not browned.1 Tablespoon butter, 1 large yellow onion, 2 large stalks celery, 4 small carrots
- Add the garlic, bay leaves, celery seed, thyme, and crushed red pepper and cook over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes.4 cloves garlic, 2 bay leaves, 1/4 teaspoon celery seed, 4 sprigs fresh thyme, 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- Increase the heat to high and add the turnips, the 4 1/2 cups of clam juice, and the chicken stock. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook over medium-high for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, salt, sun-dried tomatoes (if using), and hot sauce. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes, until a fork pierces the turnips easily. If you plan to freeze the chowder, stop when the turnips are just slightly soft.1 pound turnips, 1/2 cup chicken stock, 1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes, 2 small sun dried tomatoes, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
- Remove the pot from the heat, take out the bay leaves, and stir in the reserved clams. Season with black pepper and more salt to taste. Cover and let the chowder rest for up to 1 hour to blend the flavors, then rewarm gently if needed without letting it boil.freshly ground black pepper
- To serve, ladle into bowls, crumble the reserved bacon over each one, and sprinkle with parsley.1/4 cup fresh parsley
Notes
- Clam juice: Canned clams vary in how much juice they give, so drain them into a large measuring cup and top it up with bottled clam juice to reach 4 1/2 cups. Three 8-ounce bottles is plenty. I buy clams and clam juice in restaurant-size cans; if you have a source for those, use 4 1/2 cups of clam juice and about 15 ounces of drained clams.
- Substitutions: Cubed salt pork works in place of the bacon. The sun-dried tomatoes are optional but add a deeper tomato flavor. Season with black pepper to taste at the end.
- Frozen clams: If you use frozen raw clams instead of canned, simmer them in the chowder until opaque and heated to 145°F before removing the pot from the heat.
- Freezing: If you are making this to freeze, cook the turnips only until slightly soft (essentially parboiled) so they don't turn mushy when reheated. Cool completely, package in airtight containers, and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Storing and reheating: Refrigerate within 2 hours and use within 3 to 4 days. Reheat to 165°F, but don't let the chowder come to a hard boil, which makes the clams rubbery.
- Nutrition is an estimate calculated with canned chopped clams, drained.
Nutrition
Calories: 176kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 6g | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 9g