Diff between Manhattan & New England Clam Chowder?
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GB
Chief Eating Officer
About 200 miles 
Manhattan has tomatoes. New England does not.
Manhattan has tomatoes. New England does not.
kimbaby
Executive Chef
new england has a sauce primarily made of milk...
where has mnhatten has a tomatoe base...
where has mnhatten has a tomatoe base...
buckytom
Chef Extraordinaire
i've mentioned this here before but, both are actually recipes from the northeast u.s., new england style (creamy white-ish) being the original one. somewhere along the way, sailors, probably from portugal or spain, added tomatoes to the mix and reduced or eliminated the cream from the recipe. it's easier to keep tomatoes fresh on a ship than it is to keep cream, i guess.
having been horrified at the adulteration of their signature dish, new englanders procalimed it "manhattan style" chowdah, thumbing their collective noses at it as they do all things new york.
all i have to say is "go yankees"!!!!
actually, i prefer new england style, so long as the cream is fresh. the best i've ever had was at a small restaurant on killington mountain in vermont called max's place. they supposedly used fresh vermont cream, and a new batch was made each day for freshness.
having been horrified at the adulteration of their signature dish, new englanders procalimed it "manhattan style" chowdah, thumbing their collective noses at it as they do all things new york.
all i have to say is "go yankees"!!!!
actually, i prefer new england style, so long as the cream is fresh. the best i've ever had was at a small restaurant on killington mountain in vermont called max's place. they supposedly used fresh vermont cream, and a new batch was made each day for freshness.
start with bacon onion garlic, maybe carrot, clams and their juices and potatoes.
then think Long Island farms and go tomato and complimentary herbs for Manhattan
then think New England and dairies and add whole milk (not too far from half and half) for New England. Maybe some parsley from the garden (and a touch of Thyme if you are real adventurous.)
Now those glue based things they call chowder have a heritage from the 70s of thicker is better so add flour. But the region is strickly diner and buffet, not geographical.
then think Long Island farms and go tomato and complimentary herbs for Manhattan
then think New England and dairies and add whole milk (not too far from half and half) for New England. Maybe some parsley from the garden (and a touch of Thyme if you are real adventurous.)
Now those glue based things they call chowder have a heritage from the 70s of thicker is better so add flour. But the region is strickly diner and buffet, not geographical.
Dove
DC Grandma
Smarty Pants GB!
LOL....
LOL....
auntdot
Head Chef
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Grew up in NYC and my mom made the best Manhattan style chowder on the face of the planet.
Then lived in New England for a while and fell in love with their product.
Find the cream in the New England style makes the stuff a bit less acidic than the Manhattan style.
But love them both, and what I will order depends upon my mood at the moment.
Then lived in New England for a while and fell in love with their product.
Find the cream in the New England style makes the stuff a bit less acidic than the Manhattan style.
But love them both, and what I will order depends upon my mood at the moment.
BreezyCooking
Washing Up
I like both, but for some reason prefer the New England style in the winter; the Manhattan style in the summer.
buckytom
Chef Extraordinaire
it's made fresh every 86 years or so.
ironchef
Executive Chef
I love clams. I love all clam chowder, and will order it where and whenever. I was at a restaurant once where both were served and had a bowl of both!
Soup is good food!
Soup is good food!
auntdot
Head Chef
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Agree with Robo that soup is good food.
Love the stuff.
Since our last post, went to a restaurant and had a sorta, kinda New England style clam chowda (can't resist the pronunciation) that was clearly made with a roux.
But it worked.
I guess there are all sorts of ways to make a chowda.
And although I do prefer the New England style variant, gotta make a Manhattan style one of these days.
Love the stuff.
Since our last post, went to a restaurant and had a sorta, kinda New England style clam chowda (can't resist the pronunciation) that was clearly made with a roux.
But it worked.
I guess there are all sorts of ways to make a chowda.
And although I do prefer the New England style variant, gotta make a Manhattan style one of these days.
BreezyCooking
Washing Up
The Boston Clam Chowder recipes I've run across all seem to be virtually identical to New England Clam Chowder recipes.
auntdot
Head Chef
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Have to agree with Breezy, heck if I can find a difference.
Sorry to keep posting but clam chowder variations are something that have confused me.
A few years ago read an piece in a book that said there were only three variations: Manhattan, New England, and Rhode Island. And I do not remember exactly what the Rhode Island variation was supposed to be (and cannot find the book now). But, as I recall, and please don't trust my memory, it was supposed to be a grayish, not very thick, soup. Sorta like a New England chowder but without the milk products. Whether it was supposed to be made from a roux, I do not remember.
Have Googled many times and finally decided that I could not find such a thing.
Found a recipe from the last governor of the state, Lincoln Almond, The ingredients seemed just like good old New England clam chowder, except it left out the bacon/ fat back (there was plenty of flour, and milk and cream). Seems just like the New England version.
So I guess if there is an authentic 'Rhode Island clam chowder' made without milk/cream, the ex-governor either does not like it or has never heard of it.
If anyone knows anything more about Rhode Island clam chowder would love to hear it.
What I have found is that the major difference between the 'white chowders' seems to be in the amount of flour used.
Went to Jasper White's book. He specifically shuns the addition of any thickener, relying only upon the starch from the potatoes to add what thickening they do. But he sure does add cream.
Other recipes utilize varying amounts of flour and fat (roux).
That is all I know about clam chowder, but would love to learn more.
Sorry to keep posting but clam chowder variations are something that have confused me.
A few years ago read an piece in a book that said there were only three variations: Manhattan, New England, and Rhode Island. And I do not remember exactly what the Rhode Island variation was supposed to be (and cannot find the book now). But, as I recall, and please don't trust my memory, it was supposed to be a grayish, not very thick, soup. Sorta like a New England chowder but without the milk products. Whether it was supposed to be made from a roux, I do not remember.
Have Googled many times and finally decided that I could not find such a thing.
Found a recipe from the last governor of the state, Lincoln Almond, The ingredients seemed just like good old New England clam chowder, except it left out the bacon/ fat back (there was plenty of flour, and milk and cream). Seems just like the New England version.
So I guess if there is an authentic 'Rhode Island clam chowder' made without milk/cream, the ex-governor either does not like it or has never heard of it.
If anyone knows anything more about Rhode Island clam chowder would love to hear it.
What I have found is that the major difference between the 'white chowders' seems to be in the amount of flour used.
Went to Jasper White's book. He specifically shuns the addition of any thickener, relying only upon the starch from the potatoes to add what thickening they do. But he sure does add cream.
Other recipes utilize varying amounts of flour and fat (roux).
That is all I know about clam chowder, but would love to learn more.
Last edited:
BreezyCooking
Washing Up
Re: Rhode Island Clam Chowder, several online sources describe it as a "clear broth" clam chowder. Pretty much the same solid ingredients as New England Clam Chowder, but absolutely no milk or cream, or any type of roux. The clam broth gets its slight thickness from using starchy rather than waxy potatoes as one of the ingredients.
auntdot
Head Chef
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Thanks Breezy, did do some Googling but didn't find that.
BreezyCooking
Washing Up
Hey - that happens to me CONSTANTLY. I just got lucky with a search thru Yahoo. I know that everyone says Google is "da bomb" as far as search engines, but I've found that depending on what I'm looking for, it's anyone's guess what search engine will turn up what.
Getting back to the chowders, I grew up on Long Island, NY, & all the "Manhattan Clam Chowders" I remember from waterfront seafood restaurants (as well as the one my parents made from clams we harvested ourselves), were more clam broth based than anything else. They did have tomatoes in them & were called "Manhattan-style" because of the tomatoes, but the tomatoes were pieces of cooked tomato broth, not the more tomato-soup types you often see in other parts of the country.
Getting back to the chowders, I grew up on Long Island, NY, & all the "Manhattan Clam Chowders" I remember from waterfront seafood restaurants (as well as the one my parents made from clams we harvested ourselves), were more clam broth based than anything else. They did have tomatoes in them & were called "Manhattan-style" because of the tomatoes, but the tomatoes were pieces of cooked tomato broth, not the more tomato-soup types you often see in other parts of the country.
Trishness
Assistant Cook
Hi everyone,
This is my first post on your site and I just had to chime in about the "chowdah" topic. I was born in CT and lived there for most of my life near the shoreline town of Mystic (and YES, there really is a Mystic Pizza!)
Manhattan Clam Chowder is tomato based as many of you mentioned in your posts~~~~however New England Clam Chowder, while most of the time is milk based, it can also depend on what area of New England you are in. For example, in most of Rhode Island, it is clear broth based and is known as either New England Clam Chowder or Rhode Island Clam Chowder. I love all chowders but my preference is for the clear broth based and I used to make that quite frequently when I lived in CT. Unfortunately, no one out here in Arizona seems to know what a quahog is (imagine that!!!) so I have to substitute ingredients and alter my recipe somewhat......I do miss the fresh seafood of New England!
Trish
This is my first post on your site and I just had to chime in about the "chowdah" topic. I was born in CT and lived there for most of my life near the shoreline town of Mystic (and YES, there really is a Mystic Pizza!)
Manhattan Clam Chowder is tomato based as many of you mentioned in your posts~~~~however New England Clam Chowder, while most of the time is milk based, it can also depend on what area of New England you are in. For example, in most of Rhode Island, it is clear broth based and is known as either New England Clam Chowder or Rhode Island Clam Chowder. I love all chowders but my preference is for the clear broth based and I used to make that quite frequently when I lived in CT. Unfortunately, no one out here in Arizona seems to know what a quahog is (imagine that!!!) so I have to substitute ingredients and alter my recipe somewhat......I do miss the fresh seafood of New England!
Trish
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