Chow Rhode Island, Episode 5: Stuffies

"If I gave you some quahogs, would you know what to do with them?"

I didn't want to lie to Uncle Wayne, so rather than tell him that I'd have no idea what to do with some quahogs, I simply smiled expectantly, made some positive-but-noncommittal noises, and followed him to the cooler. He looked at me skeptically and said, "I'll just give you a few." A minute later, I was the proud owner of a bag full of freshly-dug quahogs. After a brief consult, Laura and I decided to use them to make stuffies.


A brief note about quahogs: Everywhere else in the world they'd be called clams. This excellent fact sheet from Rhode Island Sea Grant describes some of the vast array of names these mollusks possess, and the interesting source of their Latin scientific name. Quahogs are big time in Rhode Island. Many local delicacies are based upon these fist-sized bivalves. So it was with great expectations that we brought home our bag of quahogs and made us some stuffies.


Subject: Stuffies
Aliases: None
Major Features: Chopped quahogs, onion, breadcrumbs
Minor Features: Dizzying array of seasonings, cheeses, and preparation techniques

We got some pointers from the locals about how to make our own stuffies, then read a bunch of recipes. Laura and I decided to each make our own variety, but the salient features of each were the same. Shucked, quahogs chopped in the food processor with onion, breadcrumbs, seasonings, and raw bacon, then stuffed back into their shells and baked. Laura did a rough-chopped version with tomato and parsley and I did a "salsa verde" style with cilantro, parsley, capers, and Ritz crackers.

Assessment: Delicious. The bacon rendered during baking and soaked everything through with goopy deliciousness. I also think a dollop of olive oil would have done the trick too, but man they were great. Chopping the meat and some of its own juice in the processor along with the seasonings gave the stuffies a uniform texture and slight tang. Both the varieties Laura and I made were tasty, and very different.

Conclusion: I can't say if these were "traditional" at all, but after reading a number of recipes it seems like what we did was pretty close to what most folks will do. The neighbors seemed to like them. The clam juice really brought everything together. They were very tasty and I would absolutely make them again. I expect that pretty much anything you care to put in your stuffies will be good.

And, as a bonus, I didn't throw up even a little. It seems my childhood clam allergy is a thing of the past. Or maybe I'm still allergic to clams, but quahogs are another thing entirely.