Local food map Seattle (United States)
Seattle guides
Recipes 15
Pick a recipe
All Seattle recipes
🐟
Soup Fish & Seafood

Food Flavour DNA

Nutritional Values

🔥420kcal
💪15gProtein
🌾30gCarbs
🥑28gFat
🌿3gFibre
⚖️300 gServing

* Per serving · 300 g. May vary.

Allergens

🥛 Dairy 🦐 Shellfish

Ivar's Clam Chowder

How to order / say it
Say it Ivar's Clam Chowder — [Eye-vars Klam Chow-der]
Order I'd like a bowl of Ivar's Clam Chowder, please.
Say locally

Creamy clam chowder with potatoes, celery, and onions, served with oyster crackers.

Why try it?

Ivar's Clam Chowder is a taste of Seattle's maritime heritage, celebrating the region's love for fresh, local seafood. It's a comforting, warming dish that's been enjoyed by generations, offering a sense of nostalgia and local pride.

How it tastes

Rich and creamy, Ivar's Clam Chowder blends tender clams with hearty chunks of potato and aromatic vegetables. It is savory and slightly briny, exuding the essence of the sea, served hot with crunchy oyster crackers.

Origin & History — first documented: 1938

Introduced in 1938 at Ivar's Acres of Clams, this chowder quickly became a Seattle institution. Nourished by the abundant Pacific Northwest seafood, the dish celebrates the city's natural resources and has been served ever since at Ivar's restaurants.

Recipe

Ingredients

  • 250 g clams
  • 🥕 200 g potatoes
  • 🥕 100 g celery
  • 🧄 100 g onion
  • 🥛 200 ml cream
  • 🥛 30 g butter
  • 🌾 20 g flour

Method

  1. 1 Sauté onions, celery, and butter in a pot until soft.
  2. 2 Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, to create a thick base.
  3. 3 Gradually add cream and stock, then stir in potatoes.
  4. 4 Simmer until potatoes are cooked; add clams, heat through, and serve.

More from Seattle

🐟
Main course Fish & Seafood

Salmon with Cedar Plank

Cedar Plank Salmon
Seed-er Plan-ky Sal-mon

Salmon fillets grilled on cedar planks, infusing smoky aromas.
Seattle Sushi
Main course Fish & Seafood

Seattle Sushi

See-AT-ul SOO-shee

A local adaptation of sushi featuring smoked local salmon.
Cioppino © Wikimedia Commons
Main course Fish & Seafood

Cioppino

choh-PEE-noh

A seafood stew in a tomato-based broth, packed with various shellfish.
Seattle Teriyaki © Wikimedia Commons
Main course Meat

Seattle Teriyaki

Sea-tle Teh-ri-YAH-kee

Grilled chicken glazed with a sweet soy sauce, served over rice.
Seattle Hot Dog © Wikimedia Commons
Street food Meat

Seattle Hot Dog

See-AT-uhl HOT dawg

A unique hot dog topped with cream cheese and grilled onions, a Seattle classic.
Salmon Chowder © Wikimedia Commons
Soup Fish & Seafood

Salmon Chowder

SAL-mun CHOW-der

A hearty soup made with fresh Pacific Northwest salmon, potatoes, and cream.
Rainier Cherry Pie © Wikimedia Commons
Dessert Vegetarian

Rainier Cherry Pie

Ray-neer Cher-ee Pie

A pie made with the local Rainier cherries, famous for their sweetness.
Oysters from Puget Sound © Wikimedia Commons
Starter Fish & Seafood

Oysters from Puget Sound

Puget Sound Oysters
PYOO-jet Sound OYS-ters

Freshly shucked oysters served raw on the half shell.
Clam Chowder © Wikimedia Commons
Soup Fish & Seafood

Clam Chowder

klam CHOW-der

A creamy soup made with clams, potatoes, and cream, popularized on the West Coast.
Pacific Northwest Salmon © Wikimedia Commons
Main course Fish & Seafood

Pacific Northwest Salmon

Puh-SIH-fik NORth-west SAH-lmuhn

Fresh, wild-caught salmon grilled to perfection with a touch of local herbs.
All North America recipes — United States — Seattle — Ivar's Clam Chowder
keyboard_arrow_up