Stuffed clams, or stuffies, are a great all season appetizer. You can buy them in some frozen food cases or fresh from places like James Hook & Company on the waterfront.
Here is the final product from Paul O'Connell's stuffed clams.
How2Heros has a video of Chef Paul O'Connell preparing a chef's version of this Southern New England classic.
And, they have a very traditional home cook's version of Stuffed Quahogs with Bea Viera, mother of how2heroes CEO Lynne VIera.
Chef O'Connell's version is loaded with tips and options for ingredients and seasoning. He shares why he makes many small decisions about the size of the chop and the ratio of clams to stuffing.
Bea Viera adds some clam broth to her version of stuffed quahogs.
Bea's version is shorter and shows you how she has made this dish over many years. You are in the kitchen with her and she shows you how to make a familiar product for those who long for a taste of this traditional recipe.
In both cases the recipe with measurements is supplied on the linked to page.
Make Stuffies Your Own
Stuffies are a lot like a Thanksgiving bread stuffing. And, like stuffing it is a dish that has as many recipes as cooks and one you can feel free to adlib.
Many of my Portuguese friends do as Chef O'Connell does and add spicy chouriço to their stuffies. But, you can take them in a different direction and switch to sweet or hot Italian sausage.
One of my aunts always made them with bacon and cooked the onions and celery in the bacon fat.
I've also made these with frozen clams and baked them in a muffin tin. In clam shells, popped out of muffin tins or baked in a ramekin
these make a great appetizer, a quick supper, or the perfect dish to bring to a potluck.
What do you put in your stuffies?
What's on your food lover's shopping list?
Details:
Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Screenshots via www.how2heros.com
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