Why it works: Clam and tomato work together. They rank in the top 21% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 133 recipes. Both carry 2,3-pentanedione, which smells butter, sweet. The science ↓
Clam Chowder
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the clams
Wash 1 quart clams with 1 cup cold water, and keep the liquor.
Chop the clams.
Make the chowder
Make the chowder precisely as fish chowder, but put the clams in the fat at the same time with the potatoes.
When about done, heat the clam liquor to the boiling point, strain, thicken with butter and flour and stir into the chowder just before serving.
Add 1 cup hot cooked tomatoes if desired.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 2 of 3 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 2 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Shrimp | 100g cooked | 99 |
| Tomato | 1 medium (123g) | 22 |
| 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.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.
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.
-
Clam + tomatotop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together133 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-pentanedione (butter, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Clams
- Provides the main seafood flavor and texture of the chowder.
- Tomatoes
- Optional addition that adds acidity and a little sweetness.
The step that matters
Adding the clams with the potatoes. Clams become tough and rubbery when overcooked, and they need far less time than potatoes. Adding them together risks toughening them, so watch them closely as the potatoes finish.
“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.
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