Carolina Clam Chowder Recipe
Enjoy a Tasty Chowder Made with Clams and Potatoes
Clams are found in many areas of the outer banks of North Carolina. In the shallow sounds, the clams are buried under the sand. Kids and adults enjoy going out, feeling around for clams and filling buckets with these tasty mollusks.
Back home with the catch of the day, it’s fun to grill clams, fry them up in a skillet, or make a tasty clam chowder.
Clams are in a hinged shell like oysters. Before making Carolina Clam Chowder, you’ll need to get the clam meat out of the shells. Or you can buy minced clams, but that's not as much fun.
Getting Clam Meat Out of the Shells
- Put one to two cups of water in a heavy sauce pan with 8 to 12 large clams (more if they’re small). You want the clams in a single layer. Some overlapping is fine.
- Cover and simmer on medium heat – right below the boiling point. Cook for 7 to 10 minutes. Check now and then. You want to take the clams off just as the shells begin to open.
- Take the clams off the heat and drain off the liquid.
- Pry clam shells open and remove clam meat. Ones that don’t open should not be used.
- Place a damp cloth over bowl with clams, so they do not dry out while you’re making up your chowder.
After you’ve prepared your clams, begin making your chowder base. Or, you can put that on and work the clams while the base is simmering.
Carolina Clam Chowder Recipe
- 2 medium onions chopped fine
- 2 medium tomatoes chopped fine
- 2 stalks celery sliced thin
- 1 medium carrot sliced thin
- 8 to 12 clams chopped fine
- 4 medium potatoes cut in small cubes
- ½ small green pepper chopped fine
- 1 slice bacon cooked crisp and crumbled (or 1 TBS bacon bits)
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp celery salt
- 1 ½ TBS plain flour (for thickening)
Directions:
- Pour 2 quarts of water in a large sauce pan with the onions, tomatoes, celery, and carrot. Simmer for a ½ hour.
- Add clams, potatoes, green pepper, bacon, salt, and celery salt and cook for another half hour on low to medium heat. Potatoes should be tender at the end of this cooking time.
- Mix the flour with 1/3 cup water to make a paste for thickening.
- Add the paste and stir constantly for a couple of minutes or until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
Carolina Clam Chowder is delicious served with a summer garden salad and fresh bread lathered with butter and heated in the oven.
