North Carolina Down East Clam Chowder Recipe

Ingredients

• ¼ pound salt pork or slab bacon, sliced ¼ inch thick
• ½ cup chopped onion
• 4 cups water, or half water and half clam juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 quart coarsely chopped chowder clams
• 4 cups diced (½-inch) potatoes
• 2 dozen small clams in the shell, scrubbed (farm-raised from North Carolina are perfect)
• Milk, half-and-half, or light or heavy cream, as desired
• Sliced white bread (optional)
• Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley for garnish
• Oyster crackers

1. Cook the salt pork in a Lodge 5-quart cast iron Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp. Remove the pork, and discard, reserving the rendered fat in the pot. Add the onion, and cook until tender (but don’t let it color), about 5 minutes, stirring a few times. Pour in the water, then add the salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Add the chowder clams, reduce the heat to low, and slowly simmer, uncovered, until the clams are tender, about 1 hour.
2. Add the potatoes, increase the heat to medium, and simmer until they are tender, about 20 minutes. During the last 10 minutes, add the clams in the shell, and cover the pot. Add the milk, if using, right before serving, but give it enough time to warm (a couple of minutes usually works).
3. If you like, set a slice of bread in the bottom of each large shallow serving bowl, then ladle in the chowder, making sure to get a couple of the shell clams. Sprinkle with parsley, and serve with oyster crackers.