Dad’s Famous Stuffies

Name: Dad's Famous Stuffies
Prep time: 1 h 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 1 h 35 min
Yield: 10 servings (3 clams each).
Ingredients: 20 fresh large quahog clams (about 10 pounds); 1 pound hot chourico or linguica (smoked Portuguese sausage) or fully cooked Spanish chorizo; 1 large onion, chopped (about 2 cups); 3 teaspoons seafood seasoning; 1 package (14 ounces) herb stuffing cubes; 1 cup water; Lemon wedges, optional; Hot pepper sauce, optional

The third of July is almost as important as the Fourth in my family. We make these stuffed clams on the third every year, and it's an event in and of itself! —Karen Barros, Bristol, Rhode Island

Ingredients

20 fresh large quahog clams (about 10 pounds)
1 pound hot chourico or linguica (smoked Portuguese sausage) or fully cooked Spanish chorizo
1 large onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
3 teaspoons seafood seasoning
1 package (14 ounces) herb stuffing cubes
1 cup water
Lemon wedges, optional
Hot pepper sauce, optional

Directions

Add 2 in. of water to a stockpot. Add clams and chourico; bring to a boil. Cover and steam 15-20 minutes or until clams open.
Remove clams and sausage from pot, reserving 2 cups cooking liquid; cool slightly. Discard any unopened clams.
Preheat oven to 350°. Remove clam meat from shells. Separate shells; reserve 30 half shells for stuffing. Place clam meat in a food processor; process until finely chopped. Transfer to a large bowl.
Remove casings from sausage; cut sausage into 1-1/2-in. pieces. Place in a food processor; process until finely chopped. Add sausage, onion and seafood seasoning to chopped clams. Stir in stuffing cubes. Add reserved cooking liquid and enough water to reach desired moistness, about 1 cup.
Spoon clam mixture into reserved shells. Place in 15x10x1-in. baking pans. Bake until heated through, 15-20 minutes. Preheat broiler.
Broil clams 4-6 in. from heat 4-5 minutes or until golden brown. If desired, serve with lemon wedges and pepper sauce.
Freeze option: Cover and freeze unbaked stuffed clams in a 15x10x1-in. baking pan until firm. Transfer to freezer containers; return to freezer. To use, place 3 stuffed clams on a microwave-safe plate. Cover with a paper towel; microwave on high until heated through, 3-4 minutes. Serve as directed.

Editor's Note: Hot chourico can be found at michaelsprovision.com and gasparssausage.com.

Nutrition Facts

3 stuffed clams: 296 calories, 11g fat (3g saturated fat), 71mg cholesterol, 1188mg sodium, 34g carbohydrate (3g sugars, 2g fiber), 18g protein.

Originally published as Dad's Famous Stuffies Stuffed Quahogs in Taste of Home June/July 2014

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Cheryl

Mar 2, 2018

Love this recipe!
annrms

Sep 2, 2014

Wonderful! This is a keeper! We loved the combined taste of the clams and sausage. Thank you for submitting this recipe!
Charlene2098

May 29, 2014

I have been making these for years, almost the same way. Sometimes I use cooked breakfast sausage for those that don't like them hot and I do serve them with a little melted butter. Yum!