Hatteras Clam chowder...need a good recipe!

[Persistence]

Thank you in advance...would like to make up a pot of Hatteras Chowder.

[Glenn W]

Glenn,
As much as I love Hatteras, their clam chowder sucks IMO. All that it is is fish stock (sometimes just water), black pepper, potatoes, a little onion, clams of course, clam juice, a hint of Old Bay, and sometimes a little parsley.

[FESS]

Any chance someone'd have that 'un.....I'm about to drive up there and get some if I can't make some....better fuel up huh?
FYI.... Don't ever try it....you'll beat a path back....good chowder too!!!
Thanks for any help or advice.
Allen

[FESS]

BRILLIANT..HIT SUBMIT TWICE, SORRY 'BOUT DAT.

[Persistence]

Glenn,

When I have had it, it's been pretty tasty. I make a very Rockfish chowder (1/2 and 1/2 based) and made some Regular clam chowder a week or so ago (Black drum fishing sucked for me so I put the Chowders to good use).

Just wanted to try something new...grew up eating the red "manhatten" chowder which is also good. That is what my grandmother always made...I did not know there were other kinds of chowder until I was in my teens!

[cape_fisherman]

Fry out some fat meat (fat back or salt pork) in a stock pot. Once you've rendered the fat add water to the pot for the chowder. Season the pot of water with salt and just a tad of pepper. Add in your clams (cleaned or uncleaned...your choice) and some onions (how you cut them is up to you). Simmer these for a while...generally until the onions are very soft and ready to break down. Taste your newly created broth and adjust for salt & pepper if needed. Add some diced potatoes and simmer until nearly tender through. In a small mixing bowl mix up some corn meal, salt, and water. Add just enough water to make the dough roughly silly-putty consistency. Form small flat dumplings anywhere from 1" to 2" round. As you form them drop 'em into the simmering pot. Once you get your dumplings in the pot (ever how many you want) take the remainder of your dough and thin it out with water. If you don't have any dough left, make a bit more and make it watery thin. Now take your corn meal slurry and stir it into the simmering pot. This will slightly thicken the chowder. Return the pot to a simmer for another little bit to be sure the dumplings are cooked through and the mix has reached its full thickening. You don't want a thick chowder...just a bit thicker than water.

This is a basic Down East Chowder...never heard it called Hatteras Chowder, but I'm sure it's one in the same. You can add some bottled clam juice if you want, but that isn't how its done down here. Here its water and water only.

When you're used to adding tomatoes or milk to chowder...the Down East version can be viewed as a little bland. But we don't have any intentions of covering up the clam taste one bit. The reason this chowder is so simple is because it came from simple times. The Down East Chowder came from necessity. These poor fishing families along Core Banks, Shackleford Banks, and the forthcoming Down East communities didn't have much. But they almost always had onions, potatoes, corn meal, and fat meat. They used what they had and the Down East Chowder was born.

You can varry the recipe as you wish. I've even done the basic recipe above with both milk and tomato...sort of a mix between all three. Wasn't half bad.

Good luck and good eating!

Jay

[Glenn W]

This is a basic Down East Chowder...never heard it called Hatteras Chowder, but I'm sure it's one in the same.
Jay

Good ole Dare, Hyde, & Carteret county pride---- Always the first and original--- the other 2 counties simply copied (no matter which of the 3counties you're from).
Jay, I've had Clam Chowder Down East a few times and I will say it is better than the Hatteras dish water chowder. No thickening or fatback (that I can tell) in any of the Hatteras style I've had. I think most anything is better seasoned with a little fatback though.

[cape_fisherman]

I think most anything is better seasoned with a little fatback though.

Oh yeah

Fatback ain't bad either just fryin it up a bit on the crispy side. That's what you call redneck potato chips!

Jay