Low Carb Southern Clam Chowder

When visiting our daughter in NC we had dinner at a local seafood restaurant.  On their menu they have a Clam Chowder that has been on the menu since the 1970’s.   They simply listed it as a broth based Clam Chowder.

They should have described it as being a slightly smokey delicate soup with an irresistible broth and combination of sweetness and a hint of brininess.  The clams had a nice slight chewy texture, that I love.

I loved it so much that I ordered 2 quarts to go so I could enjoy it later. The plan was to freeze it and enjoy it months from then. That didn’t work… I proceeded to have the Southern Clam chowder for breakfast multiple days in a row.

This delicious soup inspired me to create my own recipe after researching this southern clam chowder that is attributed to Ocracoke island and Hatteras island.

So here’s my version of this little know southern clam chowder.

I hope you’ll try it and find it just as delicious as I did!

If using fresh Clams be sure to scrub and rinse the clams thoroughly to remove all grit and sand from the clams inside and out.

This is really important as Clams are filter feeders  and use a siphon system to eat.  If not cleaned properly they will be gritty when eating.

Soak the clams in a bowl of cold, salted water for at least 30 minutes, or preferably longer (even overnight), changing the water several times, to allow them to purge any sand or grit. 

Also when using fresh clams be sure to discard any clams with that are open, have broken shells or missing pieces, as they may already be dead.

Low Carb Southern Clam Chowder

50 count bag of Fresh Littleneck Clams

2-3 slices Hickory smoked Bacon, cut into small pieces

2 TB Olive Oil

3/4 cup Matchstick Carrots

3/4 cup Celery, diced

1 medium Yellow Onion

2 cloves minced Garlic (or 1/2 tsp garlic powder)

Pinch of Crushed Red Pepper

32 oz Clam Juice, I prefer Bar Harbor brand

2.5 tsp dried Thyme

2-3 Bay Leaves

2 level TB BTB Chicken Bouillon

1 14oz can Petite Diced Tomatoes

1 medium White or Red potato, diced

Handful Celery leaves, large rough chopped

1 cup Kohlrabi, peeled and diced

24 oz canned Chopped Clams, reserve the juice from the can, I like Bar Harbor and Snow’s brand

S&P to taste

Hot sauce, I prefer Texas Pete

1. In a large pot add 1 cup of water over medium heat.  Add the clams and cover the pot. Steam the clams for 4-6 mins or till they open, discard any clams that do not open during steaming.

2. Remove clams and shells from water, reserve clam broth. When cooled remove the meat from the shells, but not the mussel that holds the clam to the shell, it will be too chewy.  Chop the clams to the size you desire.

3. In a separate large pot, slowly cook the bacon with a little olive oil on medium heat until the bacon is crispy and its fat has been rendered.  Remove the crispy bacon and set aside, keeping the bacon fat in the pot.

4. Increase the heat to medium-high, sauté the carrots, celery, minced garlic, red pepper, and onion until soft and translucent, about 4-5 minutes in the bacon fat. Do not brown the vegetables.

5. Return chopped bacon to the pot.

6. Add the jarred clam broth, the reserved clam juice from the canned clams, clam broth from steamed clams, thyme, pepper, tomatoes, BTB Chicken bouillon, diced potato, and the powdered garlic (if not using fresh). Stir all ingredients and bring to a fast simmer.

7. Lower heat, cover, and simmer on low until the potatoes are almost done, about 25 minutes.

8. Then add the celery leaves and diced kohlrabi. Cook for an additional 10-15 minutes, not too long so that it will maintain a slightly crisp texture, or to your liking.  Stir the soup frequently.

9. When the potatoes and kohlrabi are tender, add the clams, cover the pot and simmer about 5 minutes.  Not too long or the clam meat will get too chewy.

10. Add Hot sauce, salt and black pepper to taste

Optional:

To make this recipe easier you can omit using fresh clams all together and use the canned clams and jarred clam broth. I have done this and added an additional 6.5oz Can of Chopped clams.  It turned out just as tasty!

Approximate Nutritional Information

Servings:  10

Serving Size: 1.5 cups

Calories:    82

Net Carbs:    9

Total Carbs:  11

Protein:  8

Fiber:   2