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Red Lobster's New England Clam Chowder Copycat Recipe

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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 4 slices bacon chopped
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups bottled clam juice
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 3 russet potatoes diced
  • 1 medium onion diced
  • 2 6.5-ounce cans chopped clams, drained
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Method
 

  1. Cook the chopped bacon in a large pot until crisp, then remove it and leave the fat in the pot.
  2. Saute the onion in the bacon fat until softened.
  3. Add the butter and whisk in the flour to make a roux, cooking 2 minutes.
  4. Gradually whisk in the clam juice, add the potatoes and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes.
  5. Stir in the heavy cream and the canned clams at the very end and heat through without boiling. Season and top with the bacon.

Notes

Get the roux ratio right - too little and it is thin, too much and it is gluey. Add the canned clams last, since overcooking makes them rubbery. The bacon fat is the flavor base; using butter alone flattens the soup noticeably. Red Lobster leans cream over milk for that restaurant-style richness. Bottled clam juice varies in saltiness, so taste before adding more salt.