Clam Chowder

Method

1. Put 300 g of scrubbed clams in a bowl of cold, well-salted water and leave them 20 minutes to spit out their sand. Lift them out with your hands, leaving the grit behind, and discard any clam that stays open when tapped.
2. Bring 120 ml of water to the boil in a heavy saucepan, add the clams, cover tightly and steam over high heat for 5-7 minutes, shaking the pan once, until the shells gape. Tip them into a colander set over a bowl. Strain the clam liquor through a muslin-lined sieve and reserve it; pick the meats from the shells and chop them coarsely, discarding any clam that stayed shut.
3. Wipe the pan dry and set it over medium-low heat. Add 20 g of finely diced salt pork and render it slowly for 5 minutes, until the fat runs and the bits are golden and crisp.
4. Stir 40 g of finely chopped onion into the rendered fat and sweat for 4 minutes until translucent but not coloured. Scatter over 1 tsp of plain flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute so it loses its raw taste.