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 ↓
Clam Chowder No. 2
Ingredients
Directions
Make the base
Combine 2 quarts of water, sliced potatoes, minced onion, and tomato juice in a soup kettle; boil for about 1 hour, adding water as needed to maintain 2 quarts.
Cut the salt pork into dice, fry until crispy, then add to the kettle.
Add the clams and serve
Cook the clams in 1 pint of water; strain the liquor into the chowder.
Cut the clams into 3 or 4 pieces, add them to the chowder, and season to taste.
Serve with croutons or broken crackers.
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.
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 pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,023 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Potato + tomatotop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,798 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Pork + potatotop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,668 recipes
Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
-
Tomato + peppertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,923 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
Tomato + oniontop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,633 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 the chewy bite of the chowder.
- Potatoes
- Break down partly during boiling to thicken the broth and give body.
- Pork
- Fat rendered from the frying adds savory richness to the broth.
- Tomato juice
- Adds acidity and a subtle sweet tang that balances the rich broth.
- Onion
- Adds aromatic sweetness and depth to the broth.
The step that matters
Maintaining the water level during the boil. Potatoes and onion must simmer in a steady volume of liquid; if the water drops too low they can scorch and the broth loses body and flavor concentration. Topping up keeps the base consistent before the clams go in.
Swap the tomato
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (clam, pork, potato, onion, pepper):
- Capsicumfits better
- Tomatothe original
- Carrotfits about as well
- Chivefits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against clam, pork, potato, onion, 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.
More clam chowder recipes
You might also like
Tomato Soup526 recipes
Potato Croquettes255 recipes
Cream of Tomato Soup107 recipes
Pork Cake107 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.