It is officially the 2nd Annual Quahog Week, so what better recipe to bring you than a good ol' classic New England stuffie. Stuffies were introduced in the 1930s as a cheap, quick meal. It utilized the plentiful quahogs (pronounced KO-hog) from Narragansett Bay, along with bread, spices and at times other meats. No authentic Rhode Island seafood meal is complete without at least one of these stuffies, usually served with lemon and hot sauce.
T.R. McGrath from McGrath's Clambakes and Catering of Newport, Rhode Island shows us how his family has made stuffies for years. Check out the video and recipe below.
MCGRATH STUFFIES
- 2 sticks butter
- 1 1/4 pound onion, diced
- 1 1/4 pound chouriço, ground
- 1 quart of quahog juice
- 1 quart of quahogs, diced
- 1 pound bag herbed stuffing
- 2 dozen quahog shells
- Hot sauce, for serving
Melt butter in a large fry pan over medium heat. Add in onion and chouriço. Cook until the onion is translucent and the chouriço is crispy.
Add in the quahog juice. This is liquid (also known as liqueur) you reserved from shucking the clams. Let it come to a slight boil.
Add the clams and cook just long enough that the clams are tender. Do not over cook.
Put the heated mixture into a mixing bowl with the stuffing mix. Blend together.
Fill each shell with a few spoonfuls of the mixture. Place shells on a large baking sheet.
Bake in a 350-degree oven for 45 minutes.
Makes 24 stuffies.