So glad you have a solution for making this living in Ohio now!

I love Ocean State Job Lot! They also have an amazing collection of Bobs Red Mill products. Thanks for this tip!

Which part of the food industry are you in my dear.

It seems there are more things for you to learn.

In the States I’m able to find a large 46 oz. can of Clam Juice for around $4.00 – $5.00 (USD) at a large discount chain known as Ocean State Job Lot. I checked and they do not ship directly to Canada. I did see this, however, in an AI Google search:
“Yes, there are Canadian store chains similar to Ocean State Job Lot, which is known for its discount and closeout merchandise. Giant Tiger is a good comparison, offering a mix of discount retail and basic necessities, according to a Reddit thread. Additionally, Winners/Marshalls and HomeSense (all owned by TJX Companies) are prominent off-price retailers, similar to Ocean State Job Lot’s focus on discounted goods, according to a Reddit thread.
While Ocean State Job Lot primarily operates in the Northeastern US, it is preparing to acquire 15 former Big Lots stores across eight states, according to KGET.com. Giant Tiger, on the other hand, is a well-established Canadian discount chain. It offers a variety of products including clothing, groceries, and household goods, often at lower prices, similar to Ocean State Job Lot’s business model, according to a Reddit thread.
Another option for finding discounted merchandise in Canada is the TJX chain, which includes Winners, Marshalls, and HomeSense. These stores, particularly Winners and Marshalls, are known for offering brand-name clothing and home goods at discounted prices, similar to what one might find at Ocean State Job Lot.”

So glad you liked it! I LOVE using celery greens. What a great idea for this recipe. They’re such an underutilized ingredient!

Hope you like it! Thanks for chiming in :-)

So glad you liked it! Thanks for sharing your substitutions and tips!

This is wrong. MOST chowders have a creamy dairy base, such as New England Clam Chowder or Fish Chowder, but it’s not a requirement. Even the Merriam Webster dictionary doesn’t have it as a requirement in the definition.

But at the end of the day, even if it were true, I’d hope pedantic opinions about semantics wouldn’t prevent anyone from making something delicious to eat! Like, is shepherd’s pie really a pie, if it doesn’t have a pie crust? It’s really more of a casserole. But I’m certainly going to make and eat it regardless, because it’s delicious!

In the future, I recommend a quick google search to see if your assumptions are correct before leaving condescending comments on the internet. Thanks! – A professional in a position in the food industry

Feel free to add garlic if you want!

I love your reply, and I’m very much looking forward to this recipe, because of the whole Kevin Bacon Sirens scene. Incidentally, I’m from the Gulf Coast and we have our share of serious chefs who are dogmatic too, they insist on having your food and recipes the way your mama made em 😁

Thank you for the helpful reply. I definitely can’t buy the imported can! I’ve continued in my search for a clam juice and think I’ve found one that should work. The water used to rehydrate dried scallops is recommended by only one person, but they claim it is the closest of the several things they’ve tried. One dried scallop in 1/2 cup water until rehydrated, then dilute that soak water to obtain a full cup. Dried scallops are crazy expensive, but since they’re needed for XO sauce, I’ll at least get something extra delicious from the ‘leftovers’.

Elizabeth, thank you for the very helpful reply. No, I’m definitely not buying the expensive import. That’s a shame about dashi being the wrong flavour, but you mention fish stock, so I wonder if dried bonito flakes (minus the seaweed component) would work?

I can’t get actual fresh (live) clams as I’m a bit inland and they’re not particularly popular. I can get frozen, but not sure I’d trust they were purged. I’ve not had any grit issues (yet!) from canned ones, so using the liquid from a second can might be a good solution and leaves me with the terrible fate of having to eat clam fritters the next day, lol.

I had a wild hope that I could get clam juice powder, like how you can now get actual stock/bone broth powder. There’s a marketing opportunity going unmet! I’d love to have a box of, ‘reconstitutes to one cup’ sachets sitting in the cupboard.

Oh goodness, definitely don’t spend that much! You can absolutely make do with something else. I don’t think dashi would quite work, but here’s what I’m thinking.

1) If you are using canned clams, the liquid that comes in the can is clam juice. You can just buy an extra can of clams and have there be some extra clams in the chowder and you’ll get more of the clam juice liquid that way, too (and if you’re a bit short, just use water to supplement)!

2) If you feel like leveling up a bit, you can steam your own fresh clams and the liquid that is left from steaming can be used in place of jarred clam juice (this is how it’s traditionally made in Rhode Island – the canned clams in this recipe was purely for convenience, for people who don’t have time to fuss with fresh or don’t have access to them). Here’s a recipe that may help set you in the right direction: https://leitesculinaria.com/1364/recipes-steamer-clam-chowder.html

3) Another alternative here would be some kind of fish broth/stock. I think that flavor would be better here than dashi.

Hope that helps and good luck!

Oh my goodness, that explains why I’ve had such a big uptick in traffic to this recipe! Thanks for letting me know about the Sirens appearance, that explains a lot. And I hope you like the recipe!

Hello from Barrington, Diane! I did a lot of research on this before writing this recipe and for almost all the recipes I found, from cookbooks written by Rhode Islanders and websites that recreate recipes from places like Matunuck Oyster Bar did include celery and herbs. Even the recipe from Yankee has it! (https://newengland.com/food/soups-stews-chowders/rhode-island-clear-broth-clam-chowder/) – perhaps you are referring to a different recipe published in their print magazine a while ago? Additionally, since I wrote this recipe with canned clams which don’t have quite the same taste as fresh quahogs, the added flavors can enhance the chowder. I personally think with canned clams it may be a bit lacking without the herbs, though with fresh clams I think they could stand up on their own without them.

Regardless, whenever regional recipes are shared they can elicit very strong opinions. My advice for any recipe is: do what makes you happy! If you prefer to leave out the celery and herbs, feel free to do that. There’s so much arguing over the internet these days; I’m of the mindset that food can be one of those things that bring us joy and nourishment, that we talk nicely about, and that we not be too serious or dogmatic about. I mean, it’s not like I put tomatoes in it 😉 Happy cooking!