History

Pike Place Chowder is not a Seattle invention so much as a Seattle perfection. Larry Mellum opened the counter in Post Alley in 2003, then carried Pike Place Chowder's New England Clam Chowder to the Great Chowder Cook-Off in Newport, Rhode Island, where it won the people's pick in 2008. The kitchen has now collected eight national championships. The Pike Place Market location at 1530 Post Alley still trades on the cobblestoned chowder queue; the second shop opened at Pacific Place in 2008.

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Common allergens: Shellfish, Dairy, Gluten

Make it at home

Yield 4Hands-on 20 minTotal 45 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 1 kg manila clams in shell, scrubbed
  • 250ml dry white wine
  • 120g smoked bacon, diced small
  • 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
  • 2 celery sticks, finely diced
  • 2 medium yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced 1cm
  • 1 bay leaf, fresh thyme sprig
  • 400ml whole milk
  • 200ml heavy cream
  • 30g unsalted butter
  • 30g plain flour
  • Fresh chives, sliced fine
  • Sea salt, black pepper

Method

  1. Steam the clams in the wine in a covered pan over high heat, 4 to 6 minutes, until they open. Discard any that stay shut.
  2. Strain the cooking liquor through muslin and reserve. Pick the clams from the shells and chop the larger ones. Reserve.
  3. Cook the bacon over medium heat until the fat is rendered and the bits are crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Lift out and set aside.
  4. Sweat the onion and celery in the bacon fat with a pinch of salt, 6 minutes, until soft and translucent. Add the potatoes, bay and thyme.
  5. In a separate pan, make a blond roux with the butter and flour, 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk, then the cream, then the clam liquor.
  6. Pour the milk-cream-liquor into the vegetable pan. Simmer 12 to 15 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Stir in the clams and bacon.
  7. Season with black pepper; the clams and bacon do the salting. Spoon into warm bowls. Top with chives.

Tip from the editors. The chowder thickens overnight in the fridge. If you make it ahead, loosen with a splash of milk before reheating; never boil it again or the cream will split.

Where to eat pike place clam chowder

Pike Place clam chowder in Seattle

Pike Place Chowder ★ 4.7

$ Street food

Pike Place Chowder in Seattle is Larry Mellum's 2003 Post Alley counter: eight national chowder cook-off wins, the New England with manila clams.

TryAward-winning clam chowder

Directions

Matt's in the Market ★ 4.4

$$$ Pacific NorthwestPike Place Market

Matt's in the Market in Seattle is the Pike Place Corner Market room with windows on the clock: a Pacific Northwest kitchen sourcing five floors down.

OrderThe catfish sandwich at lunch, on Macrina sourdough with house remoulade.

TipLunch counter seats walk in at 11:30 and turn fast; dinner needs a reservation for window tables.

Directions

Ivar's Acres of Clams ★ 4.0

$$ Pacific Northwest SeafoodDowntown

Ivar's Acres of Clams in Seattle on Pier 54 is Ivar Haglund's 1946 waterfront fish house: a wood-walled dining room over Elliott Bay with institutional.

OrderPan-fried Olympia oysters with the alderwood-smoked salmon at a window table.

TipThe Pier 54 fish bar to the side is the cheap counter: same clams, lower price, ferry views.

Directions Book

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