Hatteras-Style Clam Soup

I love soup. However, when the thermostat reads 97 degrees, I am not always in the mood for a delicious chowder, a tomato and pasta minestrone, or a creamy bisque. I enjoy a clear, clean, light soup.

One of my favorites is Hatteras clam soup. It is frequently referred to as chowder, but the lack of a cream base makes it soup in my eyes.
Whatever you call it, like a rose, it is not changed by what you call it.

I have enjoyed this soup many times while at Nag's Head, NC. The best, in my opinion, comes from Austin's Fish Market. Today I am 3 hours away from Austin's.

Since this soup has few ingredients, I decided to try my own version. It is not the same as Austin's, but it is delicious in its own right, and is, at the core, Hatteras Clam Soup.


The version I made will feed about 4 if you have really big bowls or appetites.

First, lets talk clams. There are many options for clams, and almost all will do. I recommend fresh clams you steam yourself over pre-diced clams in juice, and pre-diced clams (which you can find in your fish department) over canned clams (which I've never used, so I'm not sure how it would turn out).

I used regular steamers. There are larger clams, which would mean you need less, but get more clam stomach. You can use teeny little clams or long necks, as long as you remember to take the necks off of them.


You will need:

about a dozen clams
4 oz. clam juice
about 2 oz. white wine
1 tsp minced garlic
3 pieces thick cut bacon
1 small onion, diced
3 carrots, chopped
2 stalks of celery (or the center of the bunch) with green leaves, diced
1 Idaho potato, peeled and diced.
water
salt
pepper
fresh thyme (3 sprigs- ish)

Steam the clams in a soup pot. To steam, use about 8oz water, the white wine, and garlic. Small clams should take 7-10 minutes to steam. Discard any clams that do not open.
Remove clams from shells, reserving juice. Place the shucked clams in the freezer. This will help later, when you dice them.

Strain the broth (a funnel with a coffee filter works well) and wash the pot out. Return strained broth to pot along with clam juice and 3 cups of water, celery, thyme, potato, and carrots. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.

In a small fry pan, cook the bacon. Dice, then add to the pot. Saute the onion in the drippings from the bacon. Add to pot.


Add about a teaspoon of salt. Add fresh ground pepper to taste.

Dice clams and add to pot.

Cook for about 20 minutes. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Enjoy!