1950’s New England Clam Chowder Recipe

For Christmas I received a recipe book called Nostalgic Recipes. This easy hearty Clam Chowder recipe was from the 1950’s and it uses canned evaporated milk. It would make a nice cup of soup or a bowl of soup as a meal.

Drain the clam liquid into a measuring cup. Add enough water to give you 1-1/3 cups total.
In a medium saucepan add the clam liquid, diced potatoes and diced onion.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer with a lid for 8 minutes or until potato is tender.

Add the evaporated milk, pepper and thyme. Cook and stir over medium-high heat for 2 minutes.

Add the butter and cook for 5 minutes or until soup thickens, stirring occasionally.

Add the clams and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Season with salt and more pepper to taste, optional. Serve immediately.
1950’s New England Clam Chowder Recipe
http://www.InDianesKitchen.com

Ingredients
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2 -10 oz. cans whole baby clams, undrained
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2 medium baking potatoes, peeled and diced small
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1 small onion, diced small
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1-12 oz. can evaporated milk
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1/2 tsp pepper
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1/2 tsp dried thyme
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2 Tbsp butter
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salt and more pepper, to taste
Directions
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Drain the clam liquid into a measuring cup. Add enough water to give you 1-1/3 cups total.
-
In a medium saucepan add the clam liquid, diced potatoes and diced onion.
-
Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer with a lid for 8 minutes or until potato is tender.
-
Add the evaporated milk, pepper and thyme. Cook and stir over medium-high heat for 2 minutes.
-
Add the butter and cook for 5 minutes or until soup thickens, stirring occasionally.
-
Add the clams and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
-
Season with salt and more pepper to taste, optional. Serve immediately.
Categories: Butter, Clam juice, Clams, evaporated milk, Onion, Potato, Spices/Seasoning


That sound easy and delicious.
Thank you Ruth!
perfect timing!
I agree Beth, it tasted so good.
Looks delicious! Evaporated milk is new to us and hard to find where we live. Perhaps cream as an alternative?
I use evaporated milk in Libby’s Pumpkin Pie too. It is in a can and shelf stable. You definitely can replace it with cream, that’s how I usually make it until I received this recipe in a cookbook from Christmas. I love it both ways.
This is similar to the recipe that I use. Except I add bacon!
Bacon makes everything better!!
It is incredibly cold over here – among the coldest in the world right now! – and a bowl of chowder would be perfect. Hope you’re not going to be impacted by the big winter storm this weekend. Stay warm and safe!
Thank you Ab. We have about 5” of snow and no ice thank God. I feel so bad for the thousands without power.
We got walloped here and schools were closed today. Thankfully it was not bad in the grand scheme. Glad to hear you’re ok!
Our grandkids had one day of school last week. The single digits and below zero temperatures is what closed the schools. I hope you are all dug out and keeping warm!
We got last Monday off and that’s about it. It’s been very cold but otherwise, all good! 🙏
They canceled school again today with only 1-1/2”. Why didn’t they do this when I went to school. Plus these kids take the bus, we had to walk! 🤣
Kids have it kinder these days!
I LOVE clam chowder. YUM!!!!
Me too! Thanks for your comment!
I love looking at “old” recipes. I still have a recipe book, somewhere, that my Grandma and other ladies in her church put together. It’s a part of history I think. This recipe looks delicious Diane !
The church recipes are the best. Every time I find a recipe book from a church I buy it. When my mom lived in Florida she would send them to me too. Having one from your grandma’s church is so sentimental.
Yes it is sentimental and I still remember how her food tasted. The recipes help with the memories 😊
It is so good.
I agree Eunice, I never met a New England clam chowder I didn’t love. This is definitely the easiest recipe I ever made. Thank you!
So good on all these long cold winter nights. I love Seafood chowder when we are in season over by the coast. Pop into the Fisherman’s Coop and grab those fresh ingredients .
I am SO jealous!
I love, love, love New England Clam Chowder! Can’t wait to try this recipe…. sometime after the ice storm. Hasn’t started yet, but it’s coming in several hours. I wish we could get a foot of snow instead of an inch of ice!
I have thought about you for 2 days! You can’t seem to get a break from the bad weather. Stay safe and warm!
That is perfect for the cold and snowy weather we are having … clam chowder looks really good, even at almost 11:00 p.m.! 🙂
It sure is, finishing it up today. Thank you Linda!
Perfect day for it Diane – you must’ve gotten a lot of snow because Monroe County, on the border of Ohio got over 8 inches of snow. We had about 6.5 inches here – Winter is no fun this year.
My son is close to Monroe and he got that same amount. We lucked out, no ice and about 6” of snow. As long as the wind doesn’t kick up I should make the hospital, especially since my Jeeps is 4 wheel drive.
Monroe was the only county in the Lower Peninsula with a “warning” not just an advisory. Yes, your Jeep will take you anywhere. 🙂 I got new tires in November, so I might be okay, but it’s so slippery out. They plowed this afternoon but can’t salt as it’s too cold. I’m glad I don’t have anywhere to go – allergy shots aren’t important – nothing green around!
Good week to post soup/chowder/stew recipes! Brrr!
It sure is, I have a beef stew recipe in the Nostalgia cookbook that I will post. I don’t know how it will be much different than what I make now but I will find out. Stay warm Linda!
It looks good Diane! Our local grocery store makes homemade clam chowder every Friday and is usually sold out in an hour it is so good, so I would never make it myself, but that sounds like a great recipe book.
How nice you found some great clam chowder at the grocery store. I am frugal and won’t buy something I can make and love. Red Lobster has really good clam chowder. We eat there for my birthday dinner and we both get a bowl.
We don’t have Red Lobster here anymore…..and I used to like it too.
It’s hard finding a decent seafood place in Ohio. Our Red Lobster is never packed, I’m surprised they didn’t close ours too.
Yum!!! Craving it right now 🙂
Besides how good it tasted, I loved that it doesn’t make a huge pot full. It was a nice change of flavor with the evaporated milk instead of heavy cream.
I was looking for a winter soup recipe, this is perfect. I’m doing that tomorrow
Well what did you think? Did you like it as much as I did? Next time use heavy cream instead of evaporated milk and see which way you like better. I loved them both.