Tuesday, January 30, 2018

New England Clam Chowder Dip – Because Great Soups Make Even Better Dips

Truth be told, this New England Clam Chowder Dip is actually the first soup I’ve ever turned into a dip, but I still stand by my title. After all, what are soups, if not really thin, hot dips you eat with a spoon? 

The point is, while this may be my first soup-to-dip conversion, it’s probably not going to be my last. I’m looking at you, Mulligatawny.

I thought I was inventing something new here, but of course, like everything else, many people had already given this a go. The funny thing was, every recipe I looked at called for this to be served with sliced bread, which I thought was odd. To me, potatoes are like the second or third best ingredient in a chowder, so why not serve this with chips?

Besides that, my other big improvement was to up the bacon content. Some recipes called for as little as two slices. Two slices of bacon? What am I supposed to do with that? So, I went with three times as much, and it turned out to be a very good decision. While quite “bacon forward,” the clam flavor still came through, and all in all, this really was very chowder-like.

The only semi out-of-the-ordinary ingredient used was a spice blend called, “Old Bay.” This is not very hard to find in the big grocery stores, but just in case, here is a link to make a your own. Besides, even if you have some in the pantry, it may have been there for quite sometime, and while Old Bay works well, old, Old Bay may not, so it might not be a bad idea to make a batch anyway.  Either way, I really do hope you give this a great hot dip a try soon. Enjoy!


Ingredients for one small casserole dish:
6 slices of bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/3 cup diced celery
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more if needed
1 pound cream cheese, room temp
4 ounces white cheddar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
2 cans (6 1/2 ounces) chopped clams, drained
2 tablespoons freshly chopped Italian parsley
pinch of cayenne for the top
potato chips to serve alongside

21 comments:

Chris K. said...

So a couple years ago I was at this cute little boutique chocolate shop in Frederick, MD. They had some truffles flavored with Old Bay seasoning. I bought one, popped it in my mouth, and immediately realized I just made a terrible decision.

In retrospect, maybe if they had gone easier with the seasoning it MAY have worked. But they didn't. It was like swallowing a teaspoon-full of Old Bay seasoning wrapped in chocolate. My friends laughed at me for being such a fool. And took pictures.

Old Bay is popular for a reason but it doesn't pair well with chocolate. If somebody tells you otherwise you should punch them in the FACE.

Nancy said...

Chef John we KNEW you could do it!!

This seems wonderful (Patriots-denigrating humor aside)! I will make it tomorrow for a practice run. The final version will be brought to a Patriots fan club Super Bowl watching event in Pasadena, CA on Sunday, where appreciative members will devour it ... and yes, there are multitudes of Die Hard Pats fans here in SoCal!

I shall most likely leave out the ‘new’ Old Bay, as those spices are sharply inconsistent with New England clam chowder as traditionally prepared. I do suppose cheese needs to be in a ‘dip’ rendition of said chowdah, but might even try a batch without the cheddar, just to see... I am, after all, the Bel(le) of my Belichick dip.
Your puffed potato pops inspiration is brilliant as the ‘chip’ accompaniment!!

Thank you for this, and for all you do to teach, coach, and inspire so many of us to be great cooks.

Go Pats!!!!!
Nancy

Lascar Anderssen said...

I will admit - I over salted it, too much cheese goodness. But than again - I was the Gouda of of it's goodness.

That being said, I dare you to make a batch of Dominique's Cronuts

David said...

Must try this and 'Old Bay's a new one for me. As for your pronunciation of 'Worcestershire', nice try but still no coconut CJ! Phoenetically it's 'wuss-turr-shurr'. I know because the county in question is right next to mine, Shropshire, over here in the UK. So go on, amaze your friends and audience with this vital information. Biggest and best food wishes from SHREWsbury, Shropshire.

Unknown said...

The dip looks delicious, but I cannot eat seafood. Can I substitute minced or chopped chicken thigh meat for extra flavor?

Unknown said...

The brand of puff potato chips please? We never saw them before. Thank you and as usual, great job!

Steve Kennedy said...

I would have bet good money that you weren't going to make this. We all know what a big Pats fan you are:)

Unknown said...

When you're ready to end your run as king of video cooking, you can join the Hollywood comedy writers' guild! You're the bomb dot com! Always a hit. Thanks!

JulieBoolie said...

We love this idea, PLUS a huge benefit is that it is already suitable for those of us who eat KETO. I won't have to modify it!

Martin said...

I made this. I also made the cheese steak dip and both were fab. There was no football involved.

Unknown said...

Planning on making both of these for Sunday! Awesome.

Unknown said...

You never disappoint! You’re my go to chef! I have never made any one of your recipes that wasn’t amazing! Thank you for this one! I’m making this for the super bowl! GO PATRIOTS!!

Jon Deeks said...

Btw: The ingredient list is missing the cheddar cheese.

Jennifer Shippee said...

This is fabulous - but no printable?

Unknown said...

Just took this dish out of the oven and it isn't going to last long! The smell...oh! Heaven. I mixed it up just a bit and used a whole pound of thick cut bacon and an extra can of minced clams. Used Dubliner, an Irish cheddar cheese, and it matches up perfectly. Thank you, Chef, for a delightful dish!

Unknown said...

Thank you chef John.
Rest assured that if I was in charge of an award for the best online cooking show it would go to you.

And as always enjoy.

Sylvia said...

Finally made this tonight. Forgot the celery( doh!) and added some chopped mushrooms. Kept the juice of one of the cans of clams in the mix and it came out great. Not sure the mushrooms did much for it but it was very yummy!

Annie said...

just bought the bay seasoning from America. What can I use instead of tinned clams because we don't seem to have them here??
Thanks
Aussie Annie

JulieBoolie said...

I recently discovered another use for Old Bay seasoning that does not involve chocolate: season root veggies with it prior to roasting them. Salt and pepper too, but that is a given. Try it and you might love it.

Ed the house chef said...

Chef J,

Thanks again for our inspirational recipes. For two weeks running we've hosted game night (no, not like the movie nobody actually died) at our house. When I host I always make snacks and you're page is where I always go for inspiration. I made both your new dips, Philly and New England, and they were a huge success. As always, my most requested appetizer/snack/main are the Eggplant Sandwiches from a few years ago. Most popular filling combinations are: Ham/Prov; Turkey/Swiss and Tomato/Prov/Basil leaf.

Unknown said...

This looks very very delicious! I will make it for my family when we have our movie night this weekend!