Bar Harbor Chowder, All Natural New England Clam, Cans - 15 Ounce

Please note up front, you are not buying a "fresh can 'o lobster chunks". This is a can of lobster bisque, which is a cream-based soup made with minced lobster. Sure, if you go to an expensive restaurant, you can find seafood bisque with huge chunks of fresh lobster or crab at $30 a bowl, but you are not going to find this in a can, regardless of price, period. You certainly won't find it in a $5 can of soup.That said, I have tried just about any can billed as lobster or crab bisque (and yes I've had it in decent restaurants also, so yes I know the difference). I am here to tell you, all brands of bisque are NOT created equally. This is one of the better brands of any kind of seafood bisque. As anything canned goes, this is a decent can of lobster bisque. In fact, it is about the best you are going to buy in a can. It is creamy, it has a delicate seafood flavor (not fishy). It can be enhanced with fresh lobster or crab, if you are so inclined, but if I have fresh lobster or crab, I tend to eat that by itself. It can even be enhanced with an expensive can of crab meat, though said crab will be more expensive than the soup you are enhancing. But for me, living in the Midwest and suffering permanent seafood deficiency syndrome, it is worth it.As a stand-alone soup, this is still very good. Just don't complain that it doesn't have fresh chunks of lobster meat. Add them yourself at a significant price hike, or enjoy this bisque for what it is: a creamy seafood-flavored soup at $5 a can. Highly recommended.

I've read the reviews. I've lived in Rhode Island. I've eaten Manhattan Clam Chowder. I've never eaten anything that tastes like this soup. I won't argue with people who say it is authentic. But be warned it tastes like nothing I've eaten in my lifetime. It is flavorless except for a bitter taste that cannot be watered down or mixed with other ingredients to make it edible. I really, really wanted to find a way to enjoy the soup. I used it as a soup stock. I've added spices. It inevitably still just taste bitter with no redeeming flavor. If you are looking for the authentic clam juice stock that other reviews say this is, then by all means consider the product to be 5 stars worthy. But if you have no history eating such a thing, beware. It's not a food for a wide market of pallets. It's got to be one of those acquired taste things that either you love or you can't get past 1 bite. I rank it in with foods like chitlins or cows tongue that people exist who think they're great (I was a fan of pickle cow tongue sandwiches for a long time because I grow up in Pennsylvania Dutch country). But I can't imagine that you would like trying this for the first time as an adult.

Interestingly, I read the negative reviews first (as I always do), and this Manhattan chowder was mentioned as being "half water". Well, after eating 4 of the 6 cans I ordered, I can tell you without equivocation that it is NOT at all watery, like Progresso or Campbells Manhattan chowder (which are truly 50/50 water). As soon as it's opened, you can instantly see that this Bar Harbor brand is filled to the brim with veggies, an average number of clams, and a very tasty, thick broth.Only complaint is that it is slightly sweet... but that can be offset by adding some salt. Each can has 9 grams sugar, when it should have less than half that. But, the addition of a little salt offsets some of that sweetness (I prefer savory). The only Manhattan chowder that I know that is better is from our local "Lure" Restaurant in SoCal, called "Vera Cruise" clam chowder... which is absolutely the BEST we've ever tried, and much better than Lure's own Boston clam chowder (so much so that many patrons mix both together). So, as to any "canned" Manhattan chowder, Bar Harbor's is near the top, and certainly worth a try....

I love seafood. And seafood chowders. The best are homemade. Then some restaurants none of which do too badly.And then there is canned. Frankly, Boudin's Bakery makes a clam chowder to die for. Now to Bar Harbor. My first can had about 25% lobster meat. Mostly claw from the looks of it. Very sweet and "lobstery". Then about the same amount of potatoes and veg. In a broth that tastes beautifully of lobster. I made mine on the stove. Perhaps that other reviewer used their microwave. And I added one half cup of 2% milk and 3 Tablespoons of cream. Absolute heaven. As this brand uses tapioca as a thickening agent, and tapioca is uppety, I heated this slowly in a heavy Caphalon pan until very, very hot and stirred it nearly constantly. Just like one would make tapioca. I think if you follow those directions, you'll be surprised at how delicious this is. Is it homemade. No of course not. Is it restaurant fare. No way. But for a quick chowder if you take some time to prepare it properly, it is absolutely delicious. In a jam I would add extra cream, a dash of cream sherry, some fresh Italian parsley and serve this as a soup course for guests. It is truly that good. So buy some and enjoy it. I certainly did just awhile ago.

Although this is a canned productI expected a thicker stock.I found the soup to be wateryBland taste.....I dislike giving bad reviewsI just would not buy this again