Name: New England Clam Chowder
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 1 pound canned clams , minced , or 12 ounces frozen, thawed; 2 tablespoons plain white flour; 1 medium potato , diced; 1 medium onion , diced; 1 cup boiling water; 3 ounces salt pork , diced; 1½ quarts skimmed or whole milk , scalded; 1 tablespoon butter; Salt and pepper to taste

Why it works: Potato and onion are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,023 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓

New England Clam Chowder

Serves 6

Time10 minutes

Ingredients

1 pound canned clams , minced , or 12 ounces frozen, thawed
2 tablespoons plain white flour
1 medium potato , diced
1 medium onion , diced
1 cup boiling water
3 ounces salt pork , diced
1½ quarts skimmed or whole milk , scalded
1 tablespoon butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Prepare

If using frozen clams, drain and reserve the liquid.
Cut the hard parts away from the clams and keep them separate.

Make the chowder

Sauté the salt pork in a heavy iron pot until brown and crisp, then remove the pork from the pot.
Sauté the hard parts of the clams and the onions in the hot fat until the onions are light brown.
Stir in the flour.
Slowly add the boiling water.
Add salt, pepper, and the diced potato.
Cover the pot and simmer gently for 10 minutes or until the potato is tender.
Add the soft parts of the clams.
Add the reserved liquid.
Stir in the scalded milk and the butter.
Heat thoroughly, but do not let it boil.

Serve

Serve piping hot with oyster or soda crackers.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

1258Calories

78 gProtein

35 gFat

156 gCarbs

Counts 9 of 10 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 9 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Pork	100g cooked	242
Potato	1 medium (173g) baked	161
Milk	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Shrimp	100g cooked	99
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Water	not in our table	0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Wikibooks Cookbook.

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

Potato + oniontop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together9,023 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Potato + porktop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,668 recipes

Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together81,283 recipes

Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
Clam + porktop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together305 recipes

Shared aroma: (e,z)-2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, melon).
Potato + peppertop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together8,305 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Clams: Provide the main seafood flavor and texture of the chowder.
Salt pork: Renders fat for sautéing and adds savory, browned flavor to the base.
Potato: Adds body and substance as it softens during simmering.
Plain white flour: Thickens the broth into a creamy, smooth consistency.
Milk: Forms the creamy base and gives the chowder its rich texture.

The step that matters

Heat the milk without boiling. Once milk is added, boiling can cause it to scorch on the bottom and separate or curdle, leaving the chowder grainy. Heating it gently keeps the texture smooth and creamy.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (clam, flour, potato, pork, milk, butter, pepper):

Capsicumfits better
Asparagusfits about as well
Onionthe original
Chivefits about as well

Fit is the average pairing score against clam, flour, potato, pork, milk, butter, pepper. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

Potato Croquettes255 recipes

Pork Cake107 recipes

Roast Pork82 recipes

Potato Rolls78 recipes

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New England Clam Chowder