At a glance

Use canned chopped clams and their juice for a 45-minute New England clam chowder. Cook the potatoes until tender, then warm the cream and clams gently. Stir optional measured cannabutter into a single bowl after ladling.

New England Clam Chowder with Optional Cannabutter

Ingredients & directions

Creamy clam chowder with potatoes and bacon

Ingredients

Chowder

To serve

Use a heavy 3- or 4-quart pot. Measure the reserved clam liquid and bottled juice together. Add enough water to bring the total to 2 cups if it comes up short.

Directions

  1. Chopped bacon browning and releasing fat in a heavy blue pot

    Render the bacon

    Cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Scoop it onto a plate. Leave about 1 tbsp of drippings in the pot, add the plain butter, then cook the onion and celery until soft, about 5 minutes.

  2. Yukon Gold potato cubes and a bay leaf simmering in clam broth

    Simmer the potatoes

    Stir the flour into the vegetables for 1 minute. Gradually add the clam liquid, scraping the bottom and whisking out lumps. Add the potatoes and bay leaf. Simmer gently until a fork slides through a potato cube, 12 to 15 minutes.

  3. Milk and cream are stirred into the potato broth with chopped clams

    Add the dairy and clams

    Remove the bay leaf. Stir in the milk, cream and drained clams. Warm gently until steaming, 3 to 4 minutes. Keep the heat below a boil so the clams stay tender. Taste for salt after adding the briny clams.

  4. Chives and crisp bacon being scattered over one bowl of chowder

    Dress each bowl

    Ladle into 4 bowls and top with the bacon and chives. Pass the crackers separately. If using cannabutter, stir the measured amount into one identified adult bowl off the heat before adding its garnish.

Storage Chill plain chowder in shallow containers within 2 hours and refrigerate at 40°F (4°C) or below. Use within 2 days and reheat leftovers to 165°F (74°C), stirring gently.

Kitchen notes

Keep the chowder silky

Can I use canned clams?

Yes. Save the juice and add the drained clams near the end. The juice builds the broth while a short warm-through keeps the clam meat tender.

How do I thicken chowder without extra flour?

Crush a few fully cooked potato cubes against the side of the pot before adding the milk. The potato starch gives the broth more body.

How is New England chowder different from Manhattan chowder?

New England chowder has a pale milk or cream base. Manhattan clam chowder gets its red broth from tomatoes.

Use the product label

Estimate THC in a portion

Weigh the optional cannabutter for one bowl using the unit printed on the label. Use the same unit for the label amount and the amount used.

Enter the label values and the amount you used.

The result estimates the THC added to that portion from the product label. Keep infused portions labeled and secured.

THC in one portion = label THC (mg) × amount used ÷ label amount.

If the label lists 10 mg THC per 5 g, 1 g adds an estimated 2 mg THC to one bowl.

Use a labeled edible product for a consenting legal-age adult where permitted. If you are new to edibles, Health Canada suggests choosing 2.5 mg THC or less. Full effects can take up to 4 hours. Keep infused servings separate, labeled and locked away from children and pets.

Recipe and safety references