Aunt Rocky’s Low Carb New England Clam Chowder (Microwave)

Chop or slice the bacon into small pieces. (If some of the pieces end up being all fat, discard those.) Use your hands to stick the individual pieces of bacon to the inside of a medium microwavable bowl. Stick them all over so they are not just clumped at the bottom. Cover the bowl (I use a plate) and microwave for 3 minutes. The bacon should be starting to crisp up. Do not discard the grease. That stays in the soup.

While bacon cooks, open clams but retain the lid for straining out the clam juice.

Once bacon is cooked, add onions, celery/celeriac, and juice from the clams. Cover bowl and return to microwave for 3–6 minutes, or until celery/celeriac pieces are soft. Cook time will depend on the strength of your microwave and the size you chopped the celery root.

Add milk, cream, salt and pepper. Stir.

Sprinkle the Thick’n Saucy over the top of the soup, and use a whisk to mix in. Let sit for 5 minutes. It should be slightly thickened. (Don’t be tempted to add more thickener; too much will give the soup a slimy texture.)

Add clams, stir, return to microwave uncovered for about 1 minute to heat again.

Ladle into serving bowls. Top each bowl with 1 tablespoon of butter. Serve.

Notes:
1. Don’t buy any celery root smaller than fist size. By the time you clean it there won’t be enough good part left for the soup. If you can’t find celery root/celeriac, daikon radish or turnips can be substituted (will be a slight change in carbs). But the celeriac has much more of a potato texture and mouth feel in this chowder, so it’s worth looking for.
2. If you don’t have Thick’n Saucy, try sprinkling 1/4 teaspoon glucomannan powder over soup, whisk in, return to microwave for 1 minute. Or omit the thickening entirely. The soup will still be good.

Variations: Use smoked salmon, tuna, or any other favorite cooked seafood in place of the baby clams. (You will still need to use bottled clam juice, or a substitute for that liquid.)

I don’t get any commission or kickback for products I use or mention in my recipes. Nutritional estimates are per serving based on exact ingredients I used, calculated with My Fitness Pal’s online recipe analyzer. The recipe is stored there and available to MFP users for logging in their food diaries.

Calories 423, Total Fat 34 g, Saturated Fat 19 g, Sodium 990 mg, Potassium 140 mg, Total Carbohydrate 8 g, Dietary Fiber 2 g, Net Carbs 6 g, Sugars 3 g, Protein 22 g. MACROS: 73% fat, 21% protein, 6% carbs

© May 10, 2017 Roxana Lopez for Aunt Rocky’s

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