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Mendocino Coast Clam Chowder with Bacon & Thyme

Name: Mendocino Coast Clam Chowder with Bacon & Thyme
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 65 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: california-farm
Ingredients: 2.2 lbs littleneck clams, scrubbed and debearded; 5 oz bacon, chopped into 1 cm pieces; 1 large yellow onion, diced; 2 stalks celery, diced; 2 medium carrots, diced; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and diced 1 cm; 2 cups clam juice, homemade or high-quality bottled; 2 cups water, filtered; 1 can full-fat coconut milk, organic; 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, cold-pressed; 2 tbsp pastured butter, optional substitute for coconut milk; 1/4 cup cassava flour, sifted; 3 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped; 1 bay leaf, dried organic; to taste sea salt, coarse; to taste black pepper, freshly cracked; 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

A creamy, savory chowder featuring fresh wild-caught Mendocino clams, nitrate-free pasture-raised bacon, and fragrant thyme. This farm-fresh version skips the seed oils and refined flour, relying on cassava starch and coconut milk for a rich, anti-inflammatory texture.

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Serves

Prep

20 min

Cook

45 min

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Mendocino Coast Clam Chowder with Bacon & Thyme — authentic California Farm recipe from Taste Meridian

Ingredients

Serves

Main

2.2 lbslittleneck clams, scrubbed and debearded
5 ozbacon, chopped into 1 cm pieces

Vegetables

1 largeyellow onion, diced
2 stalkscelery, diced
2 mediumcarrots, diced
4 clovesgarlic, minced
2 mediumrusset potatoes, peeled and diced 1 cm

Liquids & Fats

2 cupsclam juice, homemade or high-quality bottled
2 cupswater, filtered
1 canfull-fat coconut milk, organic
2 tbspextra-virgin olive oil, cold-pressed
2 tbsppastured butter, optional substitute for coconut milk

Thickener & Seasoning

1/4 cupcassava flour, sifted
3 sprigsfresh thyme, leaves stripped
1bay leaf, dried organic
to tastesea salt, coarse
to tasteblack pepper, freshly cracked

Garnish

1/4 cupfresh parsley, chopped

Equipment

heavy-bottomed Dutch oven — retains heat evenly for slow simmering without scorching
immersion blender — creates creamy texture without refined flour roux
fine mesh strainer — removes grit and herb stems from broth

A little context

Rooted in New England chowder traditions but adapted for California's clean coast standards. We honor the tradition by building flavor from scratch—no bouillon cubes or canned cream soups—while swapping white flour for cassava and seed oils for EVOO to align with longevity nutrition principles.

Why this food

The longevity story

Wild-caught clams provide high bioavailability zinc and B12, while the broth delivers marine omega-3s. Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) and organic coconut milk supply stable monounsaturated and saturated fats without inflammatory seed oil oxidation. The vegetable base (onion, celery, carrot) offers fiber and polyphenols that support gut microbiome diversity.

Method

01
Render the Bacon
In the Dutch oven over medium heat, cook the chopped pasture-raised bacon until crisp, about 8 minutes. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon, leaving the rendered fat in the pot.
02
Sauté Aromatics
Add 15 ml (1 tbsp) of EVOO to the bacon fat. Add onion, celery, and carrots. Season with a pinch of sea salt. Sauté until softened and translucent, about 8 minutes.
03
Add Garlic and Thyme
Stir in minced garlic and thyme leaves. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant, being careful not to burn the garlic.
04
Thicken the Base
Sprinkle the cassava flour over the vegetables. Stir constantly for 2 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste and coat the vegetables in fat.
05
Build the Broth
Slowly pour in the clam juice and water while scraping the bottom of the pot to release any fond. Add the bay leaf and diced potatoes. Bring to a gentle boil.
06
Simmer Vegetables
Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes until potatoes are fork-tender.
07
Add Cream and Clams
Stir in the coconut milk. Add the scrubbed clams. Cover and cook for 5-8 minutes until clams open. Discard any clams that do not open.
08
Finish and Serve
Remove from heat. Stir in the remaining EVOO (15 ml / 1 tbsp) and pastured butter for gloss. Remove bay leaf. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Garnish with crispy bacon and fresh parsley before serving.

Pro tips

✦Source clams from a fishmonger who knows the harvest date; they should smell like the ocean, not ammonia.
✦If you prefer a dairy-free option, stick to the coconut milk; for a richer flavor, substitute with pastured heavy cream.
✦Do not overcook the clams, or they will become rubbery; remove them as soon as they pop open.
✦For a smoother texture, use the immersion blender on half the soup before adding the clams back in.
✦Save the clam shells to make a stock for future soups or risottos.

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Equipment

Dutch Oven →Immersion Blender →

Substitutions

cassava flour → arrowroot powder (use half the amount as it thickens more aggressively)
littleneck clams → mussels or quahogs (adjust cooking time slightly based on shell size)
coconut milk → pastured heavy cream (adds dairy but fits traditional chowder profile)

Storage

store in a glass container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Do not freeze with clams as texture will degrade; freeze the broth base without clams and add fresh clams upon reheating.