This Is How North Carolina's Clam Chowder Differs From New England's Classic

When people think of a bowl of clam chowder, they likely picture either the creamy New England style or the tomato-based Manhattan recipe. But there is a lesser known version that is popular among North Carolina locals — Hatteras style. The Hatteras-style chowder is a medley made with salty and chewy clams that are harvested along the North Carolina coasts throughout the year and not just during the summer. Many community restaurants in the town of Hatteras, North Carolina, serve the soup and it has become a crowd favorite.

The clam chowder came to prominence about two centuries ago. The soup's lineage has been cultivated through traditional family recipes that have been passed down since the 1800s. The hearty soup has both seafood and meat protein as well as vegetables, making it a simple dish accessible to both rich and poor diners. The chowder used clear stock instead of cream because historically, the soil in the region was too poor and farmers focused on growing crops rather than raising cows for the dairy.

Hatteras clam chowder uses ingredients such as clams, bacon bits, clam juice, onions, carrots, celery, red potatoes, and water. The soup is vastly different from New England and Manhattan chowders as its light broth is colorless due to the clam liquid. The famous New England variation has a white cream bouillon base that is thick and smooth with chunks of clam meat and soft-cooked potatoes; while Manhattan clam chowder uses a slightly spicer tomato-based broth. 

The Outer Banks soup's flavor leans towards briny and savory when compared to other chowders due to the veggies and clam juice providing an extra zing of flavor to every bowl. But all three chowders still use similar items such as clams, bacon, and herbage. New England clam chowder also has a much longer history than the Hatteras, as that soup's origins date back to at least the time of the American Revolution. And while the Old North State has their own version of the soup, the Yankee adaption has been eaten across states from Maine to Massachusetts.