Minorcan Clam Chowder

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Quick Bite

A spicy, tomato-based clam soup signature to St. Augustine, Florida, featuring local datil peppers, clams, and vegetables. Unlike creamy New England or brothy Manhattan styles, this dish is known for its intense, sweet-tart heat and deep flavor, often with bacon or salt pork for depth.

History

Minorcan clam chowder is a distinctive Florida seafood dish rooted in the history of the Minorcan settlers who arrived in the late 1700s.

These settlers, many of whom came from the Mediterranean island of Menorca, historically called Minorca, were brought to British East Florida as indentured laborers and eventually settled in St. Augustine, the nation’s oldest continuously inhabited European-established city.

Over time, the Minorcan community blended Mediterranean cooking traditions with local Florida ingredients. When seafood was plentiful along the Atlantic coast, clams became a natural staple.

Their chowder evolved differently from creamy New England styles, taking on a tomato-based broth seasoned with vegetables, bacon or salt pork, and, most famously, datil pepper, a sweet-heat pepper closely associated with St. Augustine.

By the 19th and early 20th centuries, Minorcan clam chowder had become a signature regional dish in St. Augustine homes and restaurants. Today, it remains one of Northeast Florida’s most celebrated traditional foods and symbolizes the lasting influence of the Minorcan people on the region’s culture and cuisine.

Fun Facts

• Some recipes are mild, while others are fiery hot.
• Many St. Augustine households guard their own family versions.
• Datil peppers give the chowder its signature sweet heat.
• Outside Northeast Florida, many people have never heard of it.
• The chowder reflects how immigrant communities preserved identity through food while adapting to a new home.

Where to Try

O’Steen’s Restaurant St. Augustine, Florida

Sunset Grille St. Augustine, Florida

Catch 27 St. Augustine, Florida

Recipe

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Minorcan Clam Chowder Servings: 6 Prep: 20 minutes Cook: 40 minutes Difficulty: Medium Style: St. Augustine Seafood Chowder

Ingredients

For the chowder

• 4 slices bacon, chopped
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 cans chopped clams, 6.5 oz each, with juice
• 1 bottle clam juice, 8 oz, or seafood stock
• 1 can diced tomatoes, 14.5 oz
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp black pepper
• Salt, to taste

For the heat

• 1–2 datil peppers, minced, traditional
• Or 1 tsp datil pepper sauce
• Or 1 small habanero or jalapeño as a substitute

Optional

• Fresh parsley
• Oyster crackers

Instructions

1. Cook the bacon: In a large pot, cook bacon until crisp.
2. Remove bacon and leave about 1 tablespoon of drippings in the pot.
3. Sauté vegetables: Add onion, celery, and bell pepper.
4. Cook for 5 minutes.
5. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
6. Build the base: Add potatoes, clam juice, canned clams with their juice, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, bay leaf, thyme, and datil pepper.
7. Bring to a simmer.
8. Simmer: Cook uncovered for 25–30 minutes, until potatoes are tender and flavors blend.
9. Finish: Return bacon to the pot.
10. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
11. Remove the bay leaf.
12. Serve: Ladle hot chowder into bowls.
13. Top with parsley if desired.
14. Serve with crackers or crusty bread.

Serving note: Datil peppers can bring serious heat. Start with less if you are unsure, then add more until the chowder has the sweet-tart St. Augustine kick you want.

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