How To Make Stuffed Quahogs
Stuffed quahogs, endearingly called “stuffies” by many, have become a quintessential part of New England cuisine. A true comfort food, stuffies were the gateway recipe that led to my obsession with quahogs, and to this day, I can think of no other preparation that can better highlight the unique gastronomical qualities of these humble clams.
I fondly recall feasting on them at a young age; they were a go-to appetizer recipe for my mother during the 80s. She made them with canned clams and packed them into shells we collected on our summertime trips to the beach. She treated the perfect stuffie-sized clam shells like treasures, and I recall her loading them into the dishwasher for reuse after their contents had been devoured.
The thought of using canned clams makes me cringe, although I do recall Mom’s stuffies always tasted great. And, after making my last batch of stuffed quahogs a few weeks ago, canned clams are beginning to seem like a logical alternative. Digging the clams, scrubbing them, steaming them open, shucking the meat, and chopping it up into tiny bits makes preparing a batch of stuffies from scratch an all-day affair.
No one knows for sure who was the first person to mix clam meat with breadcrumbs, sausage, and onions, and pack it into a clam shell, but we do know that the practice originated in Rhode Island around the turn of the last century.
Back then, quahogs were looked down upon and considered a poor man’s food. At the time, Rhode Island was seeing an influx of Portuguese and Italian immigrants, both clam-loving cultures. They recognized the potential of Rhode Island’s abundant bivalves, and both cultures had an influence on the modern-day stuffed quahog.
The first stuffie to appear on a menu is believed to have been at the Narraganset Pier Casino in the early 1900s. Despite the name, this was a ritzy upscale waterfront resort, not an actual casino. (Julius Keller, a chef at the resort, is credited with creating and naming clams casino.) Both stuffed quahogs and clams casino became all the rage among Newport’s elite upper class.
I am embarrassed to say it has probably been 10 years since I’ve read a book that wasn’t a cookbook. But while researching the history of the stuffie, I stumbled upon an entire book dedicated to the stuffed quahog. I am so obsessed that I decided to write an article on them, but if this author was so obsessed with the stuffie that he actually wrote an entire book on the topic, I figured I owed it myself to hear what he had to say.
In Stuffie Summer: One Man Eats Every Stuffed Quahog In Rhode Island, the author, David Norton Stone, partakes in a delicious journey throughout Rhode Island in search of the perfect stuffed quahog. He visits all of the well-established coastal restaurants and delves into the nuances of each place’s recipe.
Surprisingly, he didn’t encounter a single bad contestant, and his favorite came from Matunuck Oyster Bar in South Kingstown.
At the end of the book, the author includes his own recipe, which has similarities to my own, but we disagree on one main ingredient: green bell peppers. My mother never used them in her recipe, but it seems like the majority of restaurants do. I’ve tried including them, but for some reason, I just don’t think they work because I find them overpowering. Where I live on Cape Cod, the stuffie is cherished almost as much as it is in Rhode Island, and the majority of those I have sampled at restaurants here include bell pepper as well, so it seems like I am in the minority on this, yet I still believe I’m right.
Like me, the author feels that chourico or linguica is the superior choice over Italian sausage, which some restaurants use, and that a dash of hot sauce and a drizzle of lemon juice should be mandatory when eating a stuffie. We also both agree on the fact that Ritz cracker crumbs play a crucial role in a proper stuffed quahog, and that garlic and a lot of butter are also critical ingredients.
Following is my own prized stuffie recipe, which is roughly based on my mother’s, but I’ve added quite a bit to it over the years.
Andy’s Stuffies
3 cups of diced quahog meat (about 36 top neck quahogs, the size I prefer)
3 cups onion, diced
1/2 cup celery, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons garlic, minced
2 cups ground linguica
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 packet Goya Sazon Con Azafron
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons Frank’s hot sauce
½ cup clam broth
4 cups fresh breadcrumbs made from
English muffins (4 muffins)
2 cups Ritz cracker crumbs
3/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
10 tablespoons butter
Paprika
Garnish: Hot sauce and lemon wedge
Thoroughly rinse the quahogs under cold water to remove any sand and grit lodged in the shells. Steam them in a large stockpot until they pop open, about 10 minutes. Move them to the sink and spray with cold water (reserving the broth). Remove all the meat from the shells and rinse under cold water to remove any remaining sand, then dice them up. Set aside the shells. Sauté the onions and celery in the olive oil and a bit of the clam stock until almost transparent, then add the garlic and 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce. Stir well, cover, and cook on low heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the ground linguica and cook for another 5 minutes. Next, add the butter, clam broth, minced clams, oregano, Sazon, remaining Worcestershire, and hot sauce. Cook on low heat, stirring often, for about 10 minutes. Stir in the cracker crumbs, muffin crumbs, and parsley. If the mixture looks too dry, add some more broth. If it’s too wet, add more breadcrumbs. Mix together thoroughly, taste, and season with additional Worcestershire and/or hot sauce, if needed. (Do not add salt—the clams and broth will provide plenty.) Loosely pack this delicious stuffing into the empty quahog shells, sprinkle with paprika, and cook on a baking sheet for about 12 minutes at 425 degrees.
Finish off under the broiler if desired. Serve them with a small pat of butter on top, and a sprinkle of hot sauce and lemon juice.
Making stuffies from scratch is a long, messy ordeal, but I guarantee you they are worth the effort. These freeze well, so I often make a double batch.
Our next version of the stuffie comes from David Norton Stone’s book. Al is the author’s stepfather and hails from Fall River, Massachusetts where, as David puts it, “Chourico is like mother’s milk.” Al, a true lover of clams, was once seen eating, in a single meal, “a heaping bowl of steamers, a bowl of clam chowder, a stuffie, and fried clams.”
Al’s Hot Chourico Stuffed Quahogs
2 quahogs
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup bell pepper, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
4 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 pound hot chourico
1 cup Ritz cracker crumbs
1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cover the quahogs with an inch of water and cook in a large, loosely covered pot until the shells open and the clams are cooked through. (This will take about 10 ten minutes.) Discard any clams that don’t open. Remove the clams from the pot with tongs and let cool. When cool enough to handle, remove the clams from the shells and mince. Separate the halves of each shell.
Brown the chourico in a frying pan for a minute or two over medium heat. Add the butter, chopped vegetables, garlic, and cayenne, and cook until the celery, onion and bell pepper are almost, but not quite, soft. Remove pan from heat and stir in the crumbs, minced clams, and dill. Mix thoroughly.
Use a tablespoon to stuff shells with the stuffing. Place on a cookie sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes.
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Source: https://onthewater.com/how-to-make-stuffed-quahogs
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