Chowder and New England go together, so this time around I wanted to bring some of my Dominican flair into the kitchen, while keeping New England traditions alive, and this Creamy Caribbean Clam Chowder was born.
This post is a paid partnership with Snow’s®, a New England-based company that’s been around since 1920.
Clam Chowder, a dish that I don’t think I ever had in the first 24 years of my life, and discovered it when I attended culinary school. Little did I know that I would become a clam chowder lover as the years passed and I settled into living in New England. I’ve lived on Martha’s Vineyard for ten years, and let me tell you, I’ve had a lot of clam chowder! So when Snow’s approached me to develop a recipe using their minced clams and clam juice, I knew I had to make New England proud, but at the same time showcase my own Dominican heritage.
Snow’s® is relaunching in a big way. Not only do they have new modern-retro style packaging to honor their New England heritage, their chowders now have double the clams and fresh ingredients. Snow’s® new ready-to-serve, authentic chowders have a rich and indulgent taste and are made with real cream and fresh clams from the North Atlantic’s deep, cold waters – so that means NO artificial colors, flavors or MSG.
Snow’s® Chowders come in 2 Ready-to-Serve flavors: New England Style Clam Chowder and Manhattan Style Clam Chowder; and 2 Condensed flavors: New England Clam Chowder and Corn Chowder, and just one can of Snow’s® Ready-to-Serve New England Style Clam Chowder delivers 13 grams of protein.
Why use wild caught canned clams?
Now, true, salt of the Earth New Englanders will probably send me hate mail for using canned clams, but this is my site and I like to keep it real. The main reason I used canned clams in all my chowder recipes is this: I do NOT want sand in my bowl of clam chowder, and when you use fresh clams, you tend to get sand in the chowder. Which I’ve heard some people love, but I sure do not!
Another reason to use canned clams is consistency and time management. A canned product uses fresh product and preserves them in their juice, making it always consistent and delicious. Time management wise, if you are making a large pot of chowder and want to use fresh clams, you’ll have to shuck about 3-4 dozens clams and not everyone has that time. So for consistency, ease, and flavor, I always choose canned clams for chowder recipes.
New England meets Dominican Republic
When coming up with a recipe to showcase clams, I knew I wanted to do a classic New England recipe with a twist, and a Caribbean twist at that! Thus, Creamy Caribbean Clam Chowder was born. A base of spicy chorizo, peppers, carrots, and onions, scented with garlic and with sweet potatoes throughout, this clam chowder recipe is one you will fall in love with.
Two Recipes: Slow Simmer & Quick + Easy
This blog post is a two in one, bringing you two recipes: one that is a slow simmer clam chowder recipe that will take about 1-1.5 hours and a quick + easy recipe that should take under ten minutes! I thought about this as I wanted this to be something everyone could make, no matter your skill level could be.
They both result in a slightly spicy and flavorful Caribbean Clam Chowder I know you will all love.
Creamy Caribbean Clam Chowder

Ingredients
- 3 medium chorizo links diced
- 1 large red bell pepper diced
- 2 medium yellow onions diced
- 1 large red pepper diced
- 2 large carrots diced
- 4 stalks celery diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1-2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup unbleached all purpose flour
- 2 cans Snow's® Minced Clams
- 2 cans Snow's® Chopped Clams
- 2 jars Snow's® Clam Juice
- 2 cups half and half
- 2-3 sweet potatoes peeled and diced
Instructions
- In a medium to large stock pot over medium high heat, cook the chorizo until crispy. Remove the chorizo and add the peppers, onions, carrots, and celery. Cook about 15 minutes, reducing the heat to low, until they soften and become aromatic. Add the garlic.
- Season with salt and pepper. Add the butter and let it melt.
- Whisk in the flour and cook for five minutes.
- Add the clams and clam juice, making sure to whisk vigorously to get rid of any flour clumps. Let this simmer for ten minutes.
- In the meantime, cook the sweet potatoes separately while the chowder simmers.
- When the potatoes cook, drain and add to chowder. Cooking the sweet potatoes separately prevents them from turning mushy. This is also the moment you add back your chorizo, saving a tablespoon to sprinkle over the top of the chowder once served.
- Once ready to serve, add half and half and let heat through for five more minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Want to make this chowder without having to wait an hour or more for the recipe above? Just grab a can of Snow’s® Ready-to-Serve New England Style Clam Chowder and follow the instructions below – this takes under 10 minutes!
- cook one small sweet potato in the microwave and dice
- in a small pot, add one tablespoon of butter and chop whatever pepper you have
- add 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder and smoked paprika
- chop one link of chorizo and cook until crispy
- add Snow’s® Ready-to-Serve New England Style Clam Chowder
- add diced sweet potatoes, taste, and readjust seasoning
DID YOU TRY THIS RECIPE? I want to see it! Follow Cooking with Books on Instagram, take a photo, and tag me in it. I love to know what you are making and how you made this recipe your own!
New England girl here. Thank you for this delicious recipe. The spice of the chorizo was a great addition on a cold winter day! Will definitely make again soon! 🙂