Scout Clam Chowder
Canned clams, leek soup mix, and potato flakes. One pot, no fresh dairy.
- calories
- 420
- weight
- 4.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 93
- protein
- 18 g
- serves
- 4, scales
- prep
- 2 min
- cook
- 15 min
- total time
- 17 min
- water
- 1200 ml boiled
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Canister stove
- Liquid fuel
- Campfire coals
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Canoe / raft
- Winter / snow
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Leek soup mix | 1 packet | Knorr Swiss is the standard one |
|---|---|---|
| Instant mashed potato flakes | 2/3 cup | |
| Powdered milk | 2/3 cup | whole-milk powder if you can find it |
| Canned chopped clams | 1 can, 6 oz | do not drain, the juice is the stock |
| Bacon bits | 1/2 cup | the shelf-stable jarred kind |
| Oyster crackers | 1 cup | |
| Water | 5 cups |
Method
- Put 5 cups of water in the pot with the soup mix, potato flakes, powdered milk, and the whole can of clams including the juice.
- Bring it up to a boil, stirring the whole way. Milk powder and potato flakes will scorch on a hot spot if you walk away.
- Drop the heat and hold a low simmer for 10 minutes. Stir now and then.
- Off the heat. Top each bowl with bacon bits and crackers.
Real chowder wants cream, fresh potatoes, and a fridge. This version gets there with powder. The milk powder rehydrates into the dairy body, the potato flakes thicken without any peeling or boiling, and the leek soup mix does the aromatic work that would otherwise mean an onion and a cutting board.
The clam juice is not optional. It is the only actual seafood stock in the pot, and draining the can leaves you with milky potato soup. Bacon bits and crackers go on at the table rather than in the pot, since both turn to mush the moment they sit in liquid. Serves four out of one pot, so it fits car camping or a basecamp night better than a solo stove.
Packing
Soup mix, potato flakes, powdered milk, and bacon bits go in one bag at home. The clam can and the crackers ride separately, crackers on top of the pack so they stay crackers.
Variations
- Swap the clams for two foil pouches of tuna if you would rather not carry a can.
- A tablespoon of olive oil at the end pushes it past 500 calories a serving.
- Cut the water to 4 cups for a thicker chowder that eats more like a stew.
https://www.boyscouttrail.com/content/recipe/clam_chowder-229.asp