Ingredients:

  • 6 oz thick-cut bacon, diced
  • 1 cup yellow onion, finely diced
  • 2 stalks celery, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3 cups Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cubed into ½-inch pieces
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3 lbs fresh steamer clams, scrubbed
  • 2 cups clam juice
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • salt to taste
  • cracked black pepper to taste

Instructions:

  1. Place the scrubbed clams in a pot with a splash of water. Cover and steam over high heat for 5-7 minutes until shells open. Use a slotted spoon to remove clams and discard any that didn't open. Strain and reserve the liquid (clam liquor) for the soup, then chop the clam meat into bite-sized pieces.
  2. In a Dutch oven, sauté the diced bacon over medium heat until mahogany-colored and crisp. Remove the bacon but keep the fat in the pot. Add the onion and celery to the fat, cooking until translucent and fragrant. Stir in the garlic and butter until melted.
  3. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir constantly for 2 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste. Slowly whisk in the reserved clam liquor and bottled clam juice, scraping the bottom of the pot to release the brown bits (fond).
  4. Add the cubed potatoes, thyme, and bay leaf. Simmer for 12-15 minutes until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork. Stir in the chopped clams and heavy cream. Heat through for 2-3 minutes without boiling. Stir in lemon juice and fold the crisp bacon back in.