It’s National Clam Chowder Day—Here’s the Best Ready-to-Eat Chowdah to Buy

Happy National Clam Chowder Day! We’ve all sung the traditional National Clam Chowder Day carols (my favorites are “O Bowly Night” and “O Come All Ye Mollusks”), we’ve smashed the National Clam Chowder Day bowl, and we’ve exchanged our traditional gifts of new can openers. Now, it’s time for the main event: a clam chowder feast. 

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While the true believers among us would consider it blasphemous to eat anything but homemade clam chowder on this most sacred of days, we think it’s okay to cheat with some store bought clam chowder—as long as it’s some of the best store bought clam chowder. 

We tasted a bunch of clam chowders a few months back and our favorite canned clam chowder remains Bar Harbor. But we also found a new, refrigerated clam chowder that was only held back from the number one spot because of the price. And I think it is worth the splurge on National Clam Chowder Day. 

It’s Blount Clam Shack New England Clam Chowder. And it can cost up to $12, though right now I’m seeing it on sale for $8 near me. While it’s made in Rhode Island, the soup is available in the refrigerated section at major retailers nationwide—Kroger, Publix, Sprouts, even Costco has it in two-packs sometimes. All you have to do is heat it up—microwave or pot, it’s your call—and this chowder is ready to eat.

And eat it you will. Because it is so good. It’s creamy and briny at the same time. You can taste some subtle herbs in the mix. There are plenty of chewy little clam bits and lots of tender potato chunks. It truly is a restaurant quality product—especially if you finish it off with some fresh-cracked pepper and maybe a sprinkling of fresh thyme or parsley. You could even put it in a bread bowl! (We have some ideas for the best sourdough bread.)

Have a shucking good National Clam Chowder Day, everyone. May all your bowls be full and your oyster crackers plentiful.