Wondering where in the Cambridge/Somerville and nearby towns where one might go to buy quahogs. I have a hankering to try my hand at stuffies and local markets only seem to have cherrystone or steamer clams. I would prefer to use the big ones!
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Have you tried New Deal on Cambridge St. in Cambridge?
Not sure if they have them; you could call.
Good idea. I’ll ask them. Thanks
Not super close to you, but Captain Marden’s in Wellesley has a ton of options - I don’t know if they currently have quahogs but it may be possible to try to order online. They have a pickup at the Lexington farmer’s market on Wednesdays.
Thank you
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If your version turns out nicely (ie, non-mushy), please report back! As a native Rhode Islander, I’m embarrassed to admit that I don’t like stuffies but I want to.
Embarrassed that you don’t like them or that you want to?
Cape Ann Fresh Catch sells “stuffies”. I say this not to suggest that you should get those but that they might be a good source of raw material.
I’ve a philosophical question (Quahogs & Philosophy 101; people, you’re here at the inception): Must the stuffing in that large clam shell be its own meat? Say you have two large clams that you want to stuff. Do you chop the meat of each separately, and stuff each with its own, or do you chop everything together, stuff randomly, and damn the consequences?
Which leads to the next deep question.
Must the meat in a large clam shell be large-clamshell-meat? Can’t you get a bunch of large shells (from the beach?), chop some clams from elsewhere, stuff those shells, cook 'em, guzzle your lager/hazy-ipa, then lie back in your hammock and say, woman, I make the best damn stuffies?
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I’m not a native New Englander and I have only minimal experience eating stuffies. I do like them better than steamed clams for sure. What got me interested in making them myself was a recent newsletter from Michael Ruhlman with his version of a recipe for stuffies. Looks tasty and fairly simple. (In a followup newsletter he commented that his recipe wasn’t very traditional because it has a lot less bread in it compared to most RI Stuffies - I’m onboard with that!)
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I can’t imagine. ANYONE chopping up the meat from each clam individually, miixing it with the other ingredients and putting it back into that shell. Sounds like madness!
And I’m sure that your other idea would work. I may just end up using large cherrystones and making smaller stuffies, but more of them
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Revere Beach this past weekend was littered with shells for your use:
The walking pole in the picture has a 0.5" diameter.
You will have to contend with this
but I’m sure you will. And if you handle it correctly, and have turnips on hand, after your stuffy app you can have this as the main.
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Ask B how much I detest gulls.
B, how much does @digga detest gulls?
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Don’t you all watch North Woods Law (or some other game warden/conservation office-centric show) on Animal Planet? You need a clamming license to dig for clams in MA, or the conservation officer will come after you.
Was up in Ogunquit, and there were so many seagulls feasting on clams and crabs on certain stretches of the beach. Pretty wild!
The last time I had a stuffie was probably in middle school. I always wanted more clam meat in them, and found them too bready.
Memories of my Uncle who had a place on Swift’s Beach in Wareham. As kids in the late 60’s we called it “The Cape” even though it is north of the bridges. He would wade out until the water was up to his neck, dig the quahogs with his toes and eat them on the spot using a knife. Then he would stuff a bunch in the plastic bag he had in his bathing suit, hidden by his big gut.
Not recommending anyone break the law but it is a fun memory.
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Lol, we had family friends who did this too. I was just saying it in jest, because those shows appear to be half of Animal Planet’s programming right now. My sister and I were quite in to a few early seasons when they were still filming in Maine.
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