The Umami-Rich Condiment That Will Save Bland Clam Chowder - Tasting Table (2024)

ByTalin Vartanian/

Clam chowder is beloved for its meaty clams and creamy texture, and typically includes add-ins like vegetables, potatoes, and herbs.

In various parts of the United States, however, clam chowder takes on a different personality. Types of clam chowder include New England-style, Manhattan-style, a Rhode Island variation, and Florida'sMinorcan clam chowder. There's also a Long Island clam chowder, which is a creamy and tomatoey blend that pays homage to both Manhattan and New England, according to Matador Network.

But whichever type of clam chowder you make at home, you might run into one of many potential problems. Some of them, according to New England Today, include an overly thick texture, overcooked potatoes and clams, or a far-too-salty mixture. And conversely, a bland clam chowder can happen to even the best home cooks.Sometimes, this can occur when the chowder sits in the fridge, as the texture and taste become watered-down, as mentioned byFoodsGuy. Or, when you're adding salt to the soup while the potatoes are cooking, the potatoes may absorb all that saltiness and leave the broth wanting more, explains DeadSpin.

Fortunately, there are several solutions to reviving bland clam chowder, including an umami-rich one that's our personal favorite.

Just a little miso paste

The Umami-Rich Condiment That Will Save Bland Clam Chowder - Tasting Table (2)

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Umami is a basic taste, and it's packed with glutamate (an amino acid) to make dishes taste better, via Miso Tasty. You'll find umami in a wide range of ingredients, like fish sauce, pickles, certain vegetables, and of course, miso, the latter of which is rich and complex in flavor.

Miso paste is generally used for miso soup, thoughEpicurious and Umi Organicmention that it can be used for chowder. Epicurious recommends 2 tablespoons of miso for 2 cups of low-salt chicken broth, while Umi Organic uses 4 tablespoons of miso with 4 cups of water (thus, it seems like a 1:1 ratio is acceptable for clam chowder, not including any milk or cream). They don't specify which type of miso to use, but it white miso is a great option as it is mild and sweet, sharesJapanese Taste. Other types of miso paste include red miso (known for its strong flavor), soy miso (which is rich in umami), and rice miso (light as a feather when it comes to taste).

So next time you're faced with bland clam chowder, rather than reaching for seasonings or herbs, try incorporating some miso paste instead. Start with a small amount if you're feeling skeptical, then slowly add more as needed.

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The Umami-Rich Condiment That Will Save Bland Clam Chowder - Tasting Table (2024)

FAQs

The Umami-Rich Condiment That Will Save Bland Clam Chowder - Tasting Table? ›

So next time you're faced with bland clam chowder, rather than reaching for seasonings or herbs, try incorporating some miso paste instead. Start with a small amount if you're feeling skeptical, then slowly add more as needed.

What foods are rich in umami taste? ›

Foods that have a strong umami flavor include meats, shellfish, fish (including fish sauce and preserved fish such as Maldives fish, Katsuobushi, sardines, and anchovies), tomatoes, mushrooms, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, meat extract, yeast extract, kimchi, cheeses, and soy sauce.

How do you fix bland seafood chowder? ›

Stir in miso

Sometimes it is because the potatoes have soaked up the salt or the base is just too thick, and the chowder is weak in flavor and has a heavy texture. If you find your clam chowder leaning into no-flavor-land, try adding a bit of miso paste to the pot for a rich umami kick.

What are umami ingredients? ›

Umami comes from three compounds that are naturally found in plants and meat: glutamate, inosinate, and guanylate. Glutamate is an amino acid found in vegetables and meat. Inosinate is primarily found in meat, and guanylate levels are the highest in plants.

How to bring out umami flavor? ›

Using umami-rich seasonings such as ketchup, molasses, tomato paste, fish sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, Worcestershire sauce, Marmite, or miso paste will give you a quick fix of umami. Don't be afraid to innovate. Give this Umami Meatloaf Burger a try and experience it yourself.

What sauces are umami rich? ›

From the left: reduced-salt Soy Sauce; Fish Sauce; Amino Sauce; Oyster Sauce; and Worcester Sauce. All are Umami-rich condiments, seasonings or ingredients.

What are 3 examples of umami? ›

Umami translates to "pleasant savory taste" and has been described as brothy or meaty. You can taste umami in foods that contain a high level of the amino acid glutamate, like Parmesan cheese, seaweed, miso, and mushrooms.

How do you fix bland chowder? ›

Perk up a Bland Soup With Simple Pantry Staples

Chances are, you could use a little more salt. Go ahead—it's ok. Salt perks up flat flavors and helps balance out bitter-tasting ingredients. Some freshly cracked pepper helps, too!

How do you make clam chowder taste less fishy? ›

Absorb/reduce fishiness: you can always try something like soaking it in milk (which you can then save to use for a fishy bechamel when your sister isn't dining with you). You could then rinse it off and cook it however you want. This should help "absorb" some of the fishiness and make it milder.

How do you make Campbell's clam chowder taste better? ›

The shortcut to making anything taste good is sizzling some onions and garlic in oil, and canned clam chowder is no exception. Sauteed alliums (onions, garlic, and other related vegetables) will add complexity, savoriness, and sweetness to your canned soup, lending it just a touch of homemade flavor.

What is umami secret ingredient? ›

Seaweeds and umami are intertwined topics. Seaweeds like Kelp and Kombu offer concentrated, plant-based sources of umami taste. 'Umami' is regarded by many Japanese as 'critical to delicious cooking'.

What is the purest form of umami? ›

A popular seasoning and flavor enhancer, MSG, or monosodium glutamate, is the purest form of umami, the fifth taste. MSG (monosodium glutamate) is widely used to intensify and enhance umami flavors in sauces, broths, soups and many more foods.

What seasoning gives umami flavor? ›

Spices like green cardamom and herbs like bay leaves have bold and bright profiles and pair wonderfully with a wide range of umami foods. You can experiment by pairing sweet paprika, cumin, allspice, tamarind, parsley, cocoa, or cinnamon with umami-rich foods.

What is the strongest umami flavor? ›

Some foods that are high in umami compounds are seafood, meats, aged cheeses, seaweeds, soy foods, mushrooms, tomatoes, kimchi, green tea, and many others. Try adding a few umami-rich foods to your diet to reap their flavor and health benefits.

What mother sauce adds an umami flavor? ›

Puttanesca – this variation of tomato sauce from the south of Italy gets its umami rich flavor from anchovies, capers and olives. Spanish – mushrooms and olives are added to a tomato base to create this sauce.

Which vegetable has the most umami? ›

Tomatoes are abundant in the umami substance glutamate. The drying process decreases moisture and concentrates the glutamate. In addition, drying creates the umami substances nucleotide and guanylate. When cooking, dried tomatoes are used for salads as a topping in strips.

Which meat has the most umami? ›

Pork fillet is particularly high in glutamate. Broth made from pork bones is a quintessential umami-rich soup. Moreover, cured ham, which is made from pork, is one of the main umami-rich ingredients.

What triggers umami? ›

In the case of umami, there are several compounds which trigger the umami taste receptors. These include glutamate, a salt of glutamic acid, specific ribonucleotides, and glutamate salts including monosodium glutamate (MSG), potassium glutamate, and calcium glutamate among others.

Is Avocado a umami? ›

Is Avocado a umami? This is usually the taste of glutamate, which is an amino acid found in foods like meats, dairy, fish, and vegetables. An avocado definitely does not fit into any of the other categories, and umami is the closest category I could find that accurately encompasses the very mild flavor of an avocado.

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