A few weeks ago we visited our daughter and her fiancé in Emerald Isle, NC. It was an awesome vacation filled with lots of laughs and good times! Our last night there we had dinner at a local Seafood restaurant. I had some delicious NC shrimp and an amazing Clam Chowder. It was more like a broth soup, not like like the thick creamy New England Clam chowder at all. It was probably one of the best soups I’ve had out in awhile. That dinner inspired me to learn how to make a longtime favorite of mine… Manhattan Clam Chowder. I researched a lot of recipes and tips, and this is what I came up with… A hearty, flavorful low carb soup with a ton of clam meat.
The radishes, being a root vegetable, are a great substitute for potatoes both in taste and texture.
This soup is so yummy and full of flavor that you won’t want to share, but you should because it’s a dish you won’t forget anytime soon!
UPDATE: I replaced the radishes with Kohlrabi and it was soooo much better. They hold their shape and texture better than radishes. Radishes can tend to get a little soft and hold water.
Low carb Manhattan Clam Chowder
2-3 slices thick bacon, chopped
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks or sliced
2 celery stalks, chopped
Celery leaves chopped
1/2 lrg onion, chopped
1/2 Tsp Roasted garlic powder, or 1 clove minced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon celery salt or celery seed
2-3 bay leaves
2-3 TBs Better than Bouillon chicken
11 ounces of V-8 Tomato tea juice
7-8 ozs Crushed tomatoes
16 ounces of clam broth or juice*
2-3 6 ounce cans of chopped clams, juice reserved*
3/4 pound radishes, peeled and diced
1 waxy potato, peeled and diced, (Yukon) this is optional
Old Bay Hot Sauce or Tabasco or other hot sauce
Salt and black pepper to taste
Optional: A dozen or so live small clams, such as littlenecks
Scrub and rinse the clams. In a large pot add 1 cup of water over medium heat. Add the clams and cover. Steam the clams 4-6 mins or till they open. Remove clams and shells from water. Save clam broth and set aside. When cooled remove the meat from the shells, but not the mussel that hold the clam to the shell, it will be very chewy.
In a separate large pot, slowly cook the bacon with the olive oil on medium heat until the bacon is crispy and its fat has been rendered.
Increase the heat to medium-high and sauté the carrots, celery and onion until soft and translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Do not brown the vegetables. If using fresh Garlic add it here and cook for another minute. Return chopped bacon to the pot.
Add the powdered garlic (if not using fresh), herbs, tomato juice, tomatoes, bouillon, clam broth and the juice from the canned clams, mix well, then add the diced potato.
Bring to a simmer, cover and simmer gently until the potatoes are almost done, about 25-30 minutes. Then add the diced radishes and cook for an additional 15-20 minutes. Stirring frequently, may need to add a little water if broth thickens up too much.
When the potatoes and radishes are tender, add the canned clams, cover the pot and simmer about 3- 5 minutes. Not any longer or the clam meat will get too chewy.
Add Hot sauce, salt and black pepper to taste.
Approximate Nutritional Information
Servings: 8
Serving Size: bowl of soup
Calories: 112g
Net Carbs: 8.6g
Total Carbs: 11.2g
Protein: 11.9g
Fat: 1.3g
Fiber: 2.6g
Sugar: 4.4g
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