Clam Chowder

A low FODMAP clam chowder of chopped clams, bacon, waxy potatoes, celery, leek greens, clam juice, and lactose-free milk and cream.

Prep 20 min

Cook 30 min

Serves 4

Gluten-freeLactose-free

Ingredients

• 3 slices plain bacon (no added garlic or onion powder), chopped
• 2 tablespoons garlic-infused olive oil
• Green tops of 2 leeks, or the green parts of 4 scallions, thinly sliced (use the GREEN tops only)
• 2 medium celery stalks, finely diced (about 1/2 stalk, 20g, per serving; Monash lists celery as low FODMAP at about 1 stalk (50g), and larger amounts add mannitol)
• 3 tablespoons gluten-free 1:1 flour blend
• 1 cup (240 ml) bottled clam juice (check the label for onion or garlic)
• 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) low-FODMAP chicken broth or water
• 3 medium waxy potatoes (about 500g / 1 lb), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 cans (about 10 oz / 280g each) chopped clams, drained, juice reserved
• 1 cup (240 ml) lactose-free whole milk
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) lactose-free cream (or more lactose-free milk)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1/4 teaspoon dried)
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, to serve

Instructions

Cook the bacon and aromatics

1. In a large heavy pot over medium heat, cook the chopped bacon until crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate, leaving about 1 tablespoon of fat in the pot.
2. Add the garlic-infused oil, leek or scallion greens, and celery. Cook, stirring, until softened, about 4 minutes. Do not let them take on much color.

Build the base

1. Sprinkle the flour blend over the vegetables and stir for 1 minute to cook out the raw flour.
2. Slowly whisk in the bottled clam juice, the reserved juice from the cans, and the broth, scraping the bottom of the pot as you go. Add the potatoes, bay leaf, and thyme.
3. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, uncovered, until the potatoes are fork-tender, 15 to 18 minutes. Stir occasionally so the bottom does not stick.

Finish the chowder

1. Reduce the heat to low. Stir in the lactose-free milk and cream and heat through without boiling (a hard boil can cause the dairy to split), 3 to 4 minutes.
2. Add the clams and cook just until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Overcooking makes clams rubbery.
3. Remove the bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper. Serve topped with the reserved bacon and the parsley.

Tips & Substitutions

• Use only the green parts. The white bulb of leeks and scallions is high in fructans, so slice and use just the green tops, which stay low-FODMAP.
• Watch the celery. Celery is low-FODMAP at about 1 stalk (50g) per serve, so roughly 2 stalks across the whole pot leaves plenty of room. Look up celery in the FODMAP Foods app to see how its rating changes with portion size.
• Pick plain bacon. Many bacons carry garlic or onion powder in the cure. Read the label and choose one seasoned only with salt, sugar, and smoke.
• Swap in fresh clams. Steam about 2 pounds of littleneck clams in a little water, strain and reserve the liquid for the broth, then chop the meat and add it at the end.
• Thicken without flour. For a grain-free version, skip the roux and stir in a slurry of 1 tablespoon cornstarch whisked with 2 tablespoons cold water during the last few minutes.
• Keep the dairy gentle. Add the lactose-free milk and cream off a hard boil so they warm through without curdling.

Why This Works

• Garlic-infused oil carries flavor, not fructans. The fructans in garlic are water soluble rather than oil soluble, so infused oil delivers the taste without the FODMAP load.
• Green tops replace onion. The low-FODMAP part of leeks and scallions is the green leaf, which gives the savory backbone that onion would normally provide.
• Potatoes add body. Waxy potatoes are low FODMAP at the amount used per serving, so they thicken and bulk the chowder.
• Lactose-free dairy keeps it creamy. Using lactose-free milk and cream removes the lactose while holding the same texture, and cream is naturally low in lactose in modest portions.

Storage

Cool and refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat gently over low heat, stirring often, and keep it below a boil so the dairy does not split. Potato-and-dairy chowders turn grainy after freezing, so make only what you will eat within a few days.