Stuffed quahogs, endearingly referred to as “stuffies” by many, have turn into a quintessential a part of New England delicacies. A real consolation meals, stuffies have been the gateway recipe that led to my obsession with quahogs, and to at the present time, I can consider no different preparation that may higher spotlight the distinctive gastronomical qualities of those humble clams.
I fondly recall feasting on them at a younger age; they have been a go-to appetizer recipe for my mom through the 80s. She made them with canned clams and packed them into shells we collected on our summertime journeys to the seashore. She handled the proper stuffie-sized clam shells like treasures, and I recall her loading them into the dishwasher for reuse after their contents had been devoured.
The considered utilizing canned clams makes me cringe, though I do recall Mother’s stuffies at all times tasted nice. And, after making my final batch of stuffed quahogs a couple of weeks in the past, canned clams are starting to appear like a logical various. Digging the clams, scrubbing them, steaming them open, shucking the meat, and chopping it up into tiny bits makes making ready a batch of stuffies from scratch an all-day affair.
Nobody is aware of for certain who was the primary particular person to combine clam meat with breadcrumbs, sausage, and onions, and pack it right into a clam shell, however we do know that the apply originated in Rhode Island across the flip of the final century.
Again then, quahogs have been regarded down upon and regarded a poor man’s meals. On the time, Rhode Island was seeing an inflow of Portuguese and Italian immigrants, each clam-loving cultures. They acknowledged the potential of Rhode Island’s considerable bivalves, and each cultures had an affect on the modern-day stuffed quahog.
The primary stuffie to seem on a menu is believed to have been on the Narraganset Pier On line casino within the early 1900s. Regardless of the identify, this was a ritzy upscale waterfront resort, not an precise on line casino. (Julius Keller, a chef on the resort, is credited with creating and naming clams on line casino.) Each stuffed quahogs and clams on line casino turned all the fashion amongst Newport’s elite higher class.
I’m embarrassed to say it has most likely been 10 years since I’ve learn a e book that wasn’t a cookbook. However whereas researching the historical past of the stuffie, I stumbled upon a whole e book devoted to the stuffed quahog. I’m so obsessed that I made a decision to put in writing an article on them, but when this creator was so obsessive about the stuffie that he really wrote a whole e book on the subject, I figured I owed it myself to listen to what he needed to say.
In Stuffie Summer season: One Man Eats Each Stuffed Quahog In Rhode Island, the creator, David Norton Stone, partakes in a scrumptious journey all through Rhode Island in quest of the proper stuffed quahog. He visits the entire well-established coastal eating places and delves into the nuances of every place’s recipe.
Surprisingly, he didn’t encounter a single dangerous contestant, and his favourite got here from Matunuck Oyster Bar in South Kingstown.
On the finish of the e book, the creator contains his personal recipe, which is similar to my very own, however we disagree on one principal ingredient: inexperienced bell peppers. My mom by no means used them in her recipe, nevertheless it looks as if nearly all of eating places do. I’ve tried together with them, however for some cause, I simply don’t assume they work as a result of I discover them overpowering. The place I reside on Cape Cod, the stuffie is cherished nearly as a lot as it’s in Rhode Island, and nearly all of these I’ve sampled at eating places right here embody bell pepper as nicely, so it looks as if I’m within the minority on this, but I nonetheless consider I’m proper.
Like me, the creator feels that chourico or linguica is the superior alternative over Italian sausage, which some eating places use, and {that a} sprint of sizzling sauce and a drizzle of lemon juice must be obligatory when consuming a stuffie. We additionally each agree on the truth that Ritz cracker crumbs play an important position in a correct stuffed quahog, and that garlic and loads of butter are additionally essential elements.
Following is my very own prized stuffie recipe, which is roughly based mostly on my mom’s, however I’ve added fairly a bit to it over time.
Andy’s Stuffies
3 cups of diced quahog meat (about 36 prime neck quahogs, the scale I favor)
3 cups onion, diced
1/2 cup celery, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons garlic, minced
2 cups floor linguica
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 packet Goya Sazon Con Azafron
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons Frank’s sizzling sauce
½ cup clam broth
4 cups contemporary breadcrumbs made out of
English muffins (4 muffins)
2 cups Ritz cracker crumbs
3/4 cup contemporary parsley, minced
10 tablespoons butter
Paprika
Garnish: Scorching sauce and lemon wedge
Completely rinse the quahogs below chilly water to take away any sand and grit lodged within the shells. Steam them in a big stockpot till they pop open, about 10 minutes. Transfer them to the sink and spray with chilly water (reserving the broth). Take away all of the meat from the shells and rinse below chilly water to take away any remaining sand, then cube them up. Put aside the shells. Sauté the onions and celery within the olive oil and a little bit of the clam inventory till nearly clear, then add the garlic and 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce. Stir nicely, cowl, and cook dinner on low warmth for five minutes, stirring sometimes. Add the bottom linguica and cook dinner for an additional 5 minutes. Subsequent, add the butter, clam broth, minced clams, oregano, Sazon, remaining Worcestershire, and sizzling sauce. Cook dinner on low warmth, stirring usually, for about 10 minutes. Stir within the cracker crumbs, muffin crumbs, and parsley. If the combination seems to be too dry, add some extra broth. If it’s too moist, add extra breadcrumbs. Combine collectively totally, style, and season with extra Worcestershire and/or sizzling sauce, if wanted. (Don’t add salt—the clams and broth will present a lot.) Loosely pack this scrumptious stuffing into the empty quahog shells, sprinkle with paprika, and cook dinner on a baking sheet for about 12 minutes at 425 levels.
End off below the broiler if desired. Serve them with a small pat of butter on prime, and a sprinkle of sizzling sauce and lemon juice.
Making stuffies from scratch is an extended, messy ordeal, however I assure you they’re definitely worth the effort. These freeze nicely, so I usually make a double batch.
Our subsequent model of the stuffie comes from David Norton Stone’s e book. Al is the creator’s stepfather and hails from Fall River, Massachusetts the place, as David places it, “Chourico is like mom’s milk.” Al, a real lover of clams, was as soon as seen consuming, in a single meal, “a heaping bowl of steamers, a bowl of clam chowder, a stuffie, and fried clams.”
Al’s Scorching 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 sizzling chourico
1 cup Ritz cracker crumbs
1 tablespoon contemporary dill, chopped
Preheat oven to 375 levels. Cowl the quahogs with an inch of water and cook dinner in a big, loosely lined pot till the shells open and the clams are cooked by. (It will take about 10 ten minutes.) Discard any clams that don’t open. Take away the clams from the pot with tongs and let cool. When cool sufficient to deal with, take away the clams from the shells and mince. Separate the halves of every shell.
Brown the chourico in a frying pan for a minute or two over medium warmth. Add the butter, chopped greens, garlic, and cayenne, and cook dinner till the celery, onion and bell pepper are nearly, however not fairly, gentle. Take away pan from warmth and stir within the crumbs, minced clams, and dill. Combine totally.
Use a tablespoon to stuff shells with the stuffing. Place on a cookie sheet and bake within the preheated oven for 25 to half-hour.
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