Jacques Pépin's Famous Clam Chowder Recipe 🥣 | Cooking at Home | KQED

Is anything more warm and comforting than a bowl of Jacques Pépin's famous New England clam chowder? This classic recipe uses a medley of bacon, baby clams, leek, potatoes, corn, and, of course, heavy cream. At one point in his career, Jacques would make a version of this that would feed hundreds of people while working at Howard Johnson's, but for this recipe, you can comfortably feed a family of 4 - 6 😋.
What you'll need:
2 slices bacon, olive oil, 1leek, 1 clove garlic, fresh thyme, jalapeno, 2 cups clam juice, 1 cup water, 1/2 lb potatoes, salt, pepper, 2 tbsp flour, 1 ear corn, 2 10oz cans of baby clams, 1/2 cup heavy cream, chives.
Jacques Pépin Cooking At Home: Clam Chowder Recipe
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About Jacques Pépin Cooking At Home:
Jacques Pépin Cooking At Home features short recipe videos that transform readily-available ingredients into exciting new dishes, perfect for newly-anointed home cooks and seasoned chefs alike. Presented by the Jacques Pépin Foundation, an organization dedicated to enriching lives and strengthening communities through the power of culinary education. jp.foundation/​​​
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[@Molejules]

Knowing he did this for HoJo's (based out of my hometown back in the day!) and that he's pretty much been an adopted New Englander for a good while now, I love seeing his take on a combo chowder. We do love our corn and clams!

[@joannaedwards6325]

My mom was from Massachusetts and made FOUR chowders: clam, fish, corn and potato....all white of course. 😋 l

[@Linda7647]

Same here. Homemade clam chowder is the best, of course. But even when I eat canned clam chowder, I always add a handful of corn to it.

[@joannaedwards6325]

@@Linda7647 Yup. I really like to add things to canned soups too. My fav is canned Pea Soup when I add ham and diced carrots. Corn is always a quick add in. ✌

[@Linda7647]

@@joannaedwards6325 I love love love pea soup, especially with ham. I often buy dried peas to make my own split pea soup, but I occasionally eat the canned type as well.

[@joannaedwards6325]

@@Linda7647 😄 when I make my doctored up pea soup I let my company think I made it from scratch. Tee hee😜

[@markust8904]

I love the fact that he forgot to add the flour for thickening and making a roux and then incorporated the flour with some stock. He didnt stress or freak out, he just adapted. I enjoy these little hacks.

[@kqed]

We do too! Thanks for watching.

[@jtlemay4878]

Educational . Didnt cut a corner, thinking on his feet

[@garbygarb31]

I don’t think you know what hack means

[@tamarkan]

Freak out? I think you didn't notice but he is way past that point in his career 😊

[@zacharyattaran9662]

cooking at home with jacques pepin is the best community on youtube :)

[@kqed]

100% agreed

[@joannaedwards6325]

Except for the woman who comes here to advertise Martin Yan 😝

[@Albert-hc3cq]

Jacques is a national treasure

[@kqed]

Indeed.

[@mattcup8541]

When I see a leek I get excited.

[@nohjunpark7845]

Protect this man at all cost

[@Filmofile1001]

He has my sword!

[@endlesviewing]

That strainer trick to get broth out of the soup was pretty awesome. Love how he always throws those tricks in on the fly.

[@worldcitizeng6507]

Jacques always have kitchen tricks we never know about!!!

[@kqed]

Right?! The best.

[@gruweldaad]

For me it was the trick for thickening the soup with flour when you forgot to pour it in before the liquid. Genius. I imagine you could use that same trick for almost any sauce that gets thickened with flour. Kind of like a cornstarch slurry, but I'd never seen it down with flour.

[@worldcitizeng6507]

@@gruweldaad Chinese restaurants chef used a ladel to scope up the liquid stir in corn starch and back into a wok to continue cooking 🍳

[@mr.snicker-doodles7081]

Whoa! I can't tell you how many times I have forgotten to add it too (drunk more than likely haha)....man, that is a great trick all right!

[@propstick]

Jacques, by far, is my favorite chef in the entire world. I truly wish I could meet him and thank him in person for his impact on us.

[@kqed]

Thanks so much for watching. Happy cooking!

[@dee_dee_place]

My family & I used to eat at HOJO all the time. Even when they closed the local HOJO motel, the restaurant stayed open for years afterward. We were so sad when the restaurant closed for good. The food was always sensational, plentiful, & inexpensive. I didn't know at the time that Chef Pépin was the reason HOJO had such fabulous food. Now, it doesn't surprise me at all. Merci beaucoup!

[@williampalchak7574]

I've probably eaten close to 3000 gallons of HoJo clam chowder as a kid. Loved the fried clams, too.

[@kqed]

😂😂

[@user61920]

I'm impressed, when I was a kid I didn't like delicious fish yet haha

[@markkindermannart4028]

I think I did too!

[@Dee-iy4ot]

of course u did

[@williampalchak7574]

@@Dee-iy4ot lighten up.

[@paulwagner688]

I love how he always talks about testing poblanos and jalapenos: "It might be like a bell pepper, it might blow your mind"

[@kellypatterson6425]

Rick Bayless acknowledges the importance of jalapeños in the Mexican kitchen, but doesn’t usually mess with them precisely for the reason noted here: Some are crazy hot and others have no heat at all.

[@81joiseyboy]

​@@kellypatterson6425 first off, Rick is great! I think he was talking from a restaurant perspective though. You want reliability in your recipes, especially there.

[@NateFreestyle]

I could watch Jacques forever. So much nostalgia from home from school sick days!

[@davem1564]

Hello Chef, I wanted to take this time to tell you that I have followed you for a long time and I wanted to say that i think you are the best chef ever. I followed you on PBS for year’s back even when you made guest appearances with Julia Child, Martin Yan etc. I’m so glad you are still doing cooking videos on KZbin. Bless you Chef 🙏and thank you for everything.

[@kqed]

Thank you so much for sharing! Happy cooking.

[@CarlosRodriguez-dd4sb]

This man is a national TREASURE!

[@majoroldladyakamom6948]

Right?

[@RandomPerson8908]

I made this for dinner tonight and it was fantastic. It was lighter than I was expecting, but in a really nice way. It's filling without leaving you feeling like you've had too much. Definitely recommended!

[@flarica64]

I love JP. 🥰That grinder looks like from the 80s, still works well😃.

[@Mochi-sn3ud]

Mr. Pepin... I always add the cobs of fresh corn, that is what my Mom taught me:) The milk on fresh cob is lovely in this.

[@ursulathomas113]

As old as we are, I would not mind being lost in the wilderness with you. I bet, we would find stuff to eat and survive without a lot of hoopla ❤️!

[@kqed]

This is a series we would love to watch...

[@flarica64]

You bet. Mr. Pepin loves foraging. 😃

[@fugoo8912]

Aye happy to see a longer video. I appreciate the quick on hand recipes but sometimes I actually want to cook something. 😊

[@kqed]

💯

[@joannaedwards6325]

​@@kqed Yes! More longer episodes please!

[@kevinmoor6408]

Jacques was the first real French Chef on television. The Original and the Best.

[@SoGorgeous-ju8jn]

And Julia Child.

[@kevinmoor6408]

A Californian cook who demonstrated French style cooking.

[@SoGorgeous-ju8jn]

@@kevinmoor6408 Jacques Pepin wouldn’t like what you just said. They were friends and he appeared on her show. I am French from France and Julia child was the first French chef I ever knew here in the States.

[@jrkorman]

About the only thing I do different is after I cut the corn from the cob, I cut the cob into small pieces and cook it with the potatoes, etc; removing it at the end.

[@w.rowechmura8414]

Jacques is a multinational treasure. I wrote this before glancing at what others have said. It’s nice that so many people feel the same way about him. 😊

[@kqed]

He's definitely treasured by many. ❤️

[@JamesJoyce12]

Jacques is a world-wide treasure - he needs to be a UNESCO site.

[@kqed]

Thanks for watching!

[@markskibo5159]

I about fell out of my chair, I too worked at H J in the 70's Its where I was introduced to clam chowder, and addicted still

[@user61920]

He literally designed the original menu, he's had an insane life

[@miseentrope]

@2:28 JP uses Pup-peroni dog treats?! Interesting. 🐾 That blew my mind more than adding jalapeno into clam chowder.

[@bellebeauty67]

I love how the spices are out in front of him. When I get the counter space I’m doing the same!❤

[@sodapopjenkins]

Jacques is the Rula!!! thanks for this gonna make this week.

[@72chargerse72]

I make a lot of soups. I wouldnt think of putting corn and leek in. Sounds very good. Thanks for feeding my mind. You are a rockstar.

[@justme-ud2vk]

so nice to watch the King.

[@disophisis]

I commend whoever is doing the captions for these. It seems like someone actually put in the work here, which is nice!

[@christianrokicki]

Wish I could be by his side in that cozy kitchen making that chowder with him. 🙏🌈🌹

[@davidfromtexas9681]

MY GOD that looks good. We've followed many of your recipes Chef and they have always turned out fantastic. I'm going to give this a try assuming I can find bottled clam juice in Dallas. I'm betting I can. Happy Cooking to your sir!

[@mayonnaiseeee]

Looks so delicious! I wish I could cut corn like Jacques, but I'd end up in the emergency room.

[@SoGorgeous-ju8jn]

Too funny.

[@daviddickson1567]

Thank you for uploading this video clip looks great 😋 been following you since C.I.A 1981 thank you for your years of knowledge you help me in my career and Julia Child 🙏🙏

[@kqed]

Happy cooking!

[@Starfish56]

Oh Mr. Pepin that's looks so tasty. Will try. Thank You best chef.

[@davidbarnett8617]

Great recipe. Sometimes clam chowder is intimidating, especially with live clams. Jacques Pepin makes it accessible. I added celery and carrots. Served with a freshly baked baguette (See Richard Bertinet). Jacques Pepin makes cooking seem effortless because he is a master. And a great teacher. Jacques Pepin is the god of the kitchen.

[@MrNateiyf]

Some of the time it’s gonna blow your mind 😂😂😂

[@PecanRanch]

Merci ! Cheers !

[@majohnson9480]

Jacques is the best chef 👨‍🍳

[@kqed]

Indeed!

[@marleneharden544]

I grew up watching you on tv...I was so Happy to see you, and your Beautiful family 🙋‍♀️🙏😇 Thank you for Sharing your experience with all of us 😋🤠 From Dallas Tx.

[@tonyadangerfield8640]

I know that Taste good I would like to have some. Happy Cooking😊

[@chrisg2779]

Always feel lucky to watch Jacques cook, I'm going to make this today, a perfect soup for a cold rainy New England day.

[@kqed]

Sounds perfect. Let us know how it turned out!

[@carlaranzaso6836]

I love me some clam chowder. Rich, creamy and savory. Paired with some bread (for me is Hawaiian rolls to give sweetness). I have to try this recipe. Thank you Jacques Pepin and KQED for the video🙏

[@kqed]

Now we can't stop thinking about Hawaiian rolls. Great suggestion!

[@jacquelinemilton6387]

I HV your books and love your recipes and chef Jean Pierre too

[@kqed]

That's awesome.

[@stitcha123]

Jacques is a great chef, and a wonderful presence on our screens.

[@joanie7107]

You are an icon Monsieur 🎩

[@leedimeocoffey978]

Stunning! Thank you, Chef

[@franks4973]

Sir I have always enjoyed watching you cook over the years. Thank you!

[@kqed]

Thanks for watching.

[@ericdrews5050]

I made this recipe of yours a few days ago. We really enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing your recipe with us

[@richsims6870]

That looks absolutely delicious.

[@brianhornak5937]

One of the BEST

[@steveconkey7362]

I love his recipes and his expertise .

[@seanmcgrath1326]

Wow!

[@michelleharkness7549]

Delicious 😋

[@F1Supremo1]

Awesome

[@jamesalanstephensmith7930]

Looks great!

[@katerusso4891]

Love your cooking JP!

[@kqed]

Happy cooking!

[@lees5073]

Thank you Chef. I'm making this next Sunday. Can't wait!

[@kqed]

Enjoy!

[@Stefan-ht3tv]

Have tried several of your delicious and helpful recipes over the years. Factoring in that it's me, not you cooking them, I have amazed myself and never been disappointed. Thank-you Chef Pepin.

[@kqed]

That's wonderful! Happy cooking.

[@GeordiLaForgery]

Thanks Jacques

[@johnlord8337]

Don't forget the whole potato chunks, the mashed portions of potato in the soup stock, and generous potato or corn starch thickening up the CHOWDER base. Chowder is thick and hearty, not some French onion soup thinness. And don't skimp on anything leek, potato, onion, garlic, shallots, scallions, green onions, chives, pepper, carrot, celery, celeriac, (even turnips and rutabaga chunks - or parsnip or salsify root).

[@pawelmatus]

God bless you Jacques, great recipe, thanks 😊

[@kqed]

Happy cooking!

[@rudysmith6293]

Excellent presentation! Thank you!

[@kqed]

Thanks so much for watching!

[@denisematt6475]

I've only used my zester for lemon peel and nutmeg. Great to know that I can use it for garlic also!

[@kqed]

It's a nice kitchen tool tip, isn't it?

[@HBrooks]

leeks are a favorite green veg. they cook quick and have a nice flavor. thank you for your quick and easy dishes, simple on spices and so delish!

[@kqed]

Happy cooking!

[@maxinerowe2925]

Yummy

[@tommyt1971]

That trick with the strainer was SLICK.

[@kqed]

Jacques' cooking tricks are so good!

[@anthonymcrafts4644]

I made it and I loved it!!!!!

[@kqed]

That's awesome! Thanks for letting us know. Happy cooking.

[@williamdavidson3143]

That was easy enough for clam chowder

[@abluelark]

I just made this for lunch and oh my goodness it was so good! I too forgot to add the flour, but made it work with a slurry just like Jacques. This was my first time every cooking with leeks and I was pleasantly surprised by their taste. This chowder isn't overwhelming fishy either, which I enjoyed. Just a simple. no nonsense comfort food.

[@kqed]

Glad you liked it! Happy cooking.

[@ralphjenkins1507]

Yum!

[@morrismonet3554]

That looks fantastic. So many restaurants skimp badly on the clams and veg and give you way more broth and cream. Or worse yet, milk.

[@henrynomnom1778]

I love you jac pepin ❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@devdroid9606]

3000 gallons is the size of a small pool! He used to stir the ingredients with an implement the size of a shovel and invented a novel way of cooling soup prepared in large quantities.

[@user-gj1xl4wo5x]

Hi ! You are a great chef! Greetings!🎉

[@kqed]

Thanks for watching!

[@mikes4357]

I consider myself pretty efficient in the kitchen, but he makes cooking look as effortless as breathing!

[@vincetaylor6126]

thank you.

[@kqed]

Thanks for watching!

[@Mo_Taser]

That looks amazing and is nothing like the chowder I used to make. Mine was good but I started with a white sauce. That was first: cream butter and flour. Then I added vegetables, carrots and potatoes, maybe some mushrooms and capers, salt, pepper, garlic, and all that stuff. Then the clam nectar and simmer for a couple hours. Then maybe a half hour before serving I'd add the clams last because they cooked fastest and would get mushy if you cooked them too long. There was a brand out of Malaysia that made large cans of baby clams and the clams were like rubber. I swear you could bounce them if you wanted. But this was fantastic because after they were cooked they were no longer rubbery but they were still firm. That brand is long gone though. I must try your recipe. Seems pretty simple too. Great video. 👍

[@beckiruther1213]

🍲🦆 Yes you can take the ladle with some hot liquid from the pot and mix in a little flour for a slurry rather than using an extra bowl. I like his addition of leek, bacon and corn as well as chives in this chowder. White pepper might be good to try instead of black pepper but wouldn’t be as bold. I always liked to go to Anthony’s Fish Grotto in San Diego on the Waterfront when it got cold or rainy but that closed and now the one in La Mesa is the only one remaining in San Diego-there’s a lake to look at while dining and you can even feed the ducks with the duck food you can buy at the restaurant. 🍲🦆

[@markgordon5387]

Still a great chef.

[@opwave79]

Came for the chowder. Stayed for the corn cutting technique.

[@kqed]

🌽

[@roncaruso931]

Jalapeño peppers in New England Clam Chowder?

[@Kiranfoodchannel]

Nice 👍👍👍👍

[@kqed]

Thanks for watching!

[@calebwoods9358]

I could have sworn I've seen this video before as I made this dish on two occasions before (it was delicious, btw)

[@kqed]

Happy cooking!

[@positivelynegative9149]

😋 👍

[@handymatt1970]

I would eat a couple of bowls of this with fresh bread heated in the oven as a dinnertime meal.

[@SoGorgeous-ju8jn]

You are the first Frenchman I have heard say likes corn. My mother was from Metz, France and she, too noticed Americans eating corn. She always said that was for the chickens!!

[@fordhouse8b]

Because back in the day sweet corn was not (widely?) available in Europe. My old chef, who was German, used to refer to the corn Europeans ate as "horse corn.” I think that has changed a bit now.

[@SoGorgeous-ju8jn]

@@fordhouse8b They’re eating popcorn now in France.🍿

[@darrenstafford7492]

One vegetable I've never had is leek. It looks very good though!

[@kqed]

Leeks are similar to onions, but are usually a little milder. I bet the taste will be familiar to you.

[@darrenstafford7492]

@@kqed you're probably right!

[@potapotapotapotapotapota]

wish my supermarket sold clam, wonder where I can get some to try this...

[@tonistoian1480]

😋😋😋😋😋

[@dzintrarowe4272]

That looks great. Not sure about Hot peppers though.

[@Magnogangas]

thank you very very very much!.... no please do Manhattan chowder!

[@DenisTasseva]

💎

[@jacquelinemilton6387]

Can you make the Manhatten too

[@ludovicgraham6234]

A french new-englander chopping up leeks. Mais M. Pepin, vous ne pouvez pas prendre un poirot dans la cuisine! 😂

[@stitcha123]

Showderrrrrr

[@user-ly4so3yg7l]

👍

[@johnlord8337]

Easier to steam corn in the microwave full ears. Steam expands the core, gently steams the corn cob and kernels for 3 minutes, the kernel and cob separate into individual kernels, easier cutting down to the cob (not wasting massive portions of cut corn, creamed corn waste. One then hold the cob laid out on the cutting board, and running the kernel rows in the horizontal (yes more cuts, but also less waste and whole kernels !), and slice each column of the kernels and you will have some real cut corn in the chowder.

[@markfox6786]

Does anyone e know the brand of this pot/ pan. I have a zillii. Pans,but have always liked the look of this one lol?

[@mrpiccolo23]

@KQED @KQEDFood Hi, Do you happen to know why its so difficult to find episodes of the original 'Fast Food My Way' ? Is that something you plan to upload like has been done with the other series?