New England Style Baked Stuffed Quahog

I do not know why I have yet to do a post on seafood. After all, I live in New England- the land where seafood is aplenty and fresh. One of my favorite seafood is clam. We have so many varieties of clams in New England that it will take a while for me to introduce them all to you nice people. For the maiden post on the seafood topic, let's get to know quahog.

Quahog is a type of hard shell clam, which we love using in the famous Boston clam chowder and baked stuffed quahog. The clam can grow really big. How big, you may ask?

How about bigger than my cat's head? With clam as large as this one, it calls for making baked stuffed quahog. Every cook and household have their own take on how to make stuffed quahog in New England. It can be mild or spicy, depending on your preference. We love ours with a little spice from the Chorizo sausage.

New England Style Baked Stuffed Quahog
(Serves 4)
Ingredients
5 large quahogs
1/2 lb Chorizo sausage, diced small
1 large onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 1/2 sleeves butter crackers, crushed fine
1 tsp dried parsley
2-3 Tbsp grated romano cheese
3 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
Black pepper

Directions

Step 1: Steam quahog with enough water till shells open up. Remove and let cool. Shuck clams off its shells. Reserve some of the clam juice.

Step 2: Washed the shell clean. Pat dry and reserved for later use.

Step 3: Diced the clam meat and set aside.

Step 4: Prepare the stuffing. Crushed the butter crackers and place it in a big bowl. In a pan over medium heat, melt butter in olive oil. Add in the chorizo sausage, onion, bell pepper and celery. Cook till onion is translucent. Turn heat off. Add in the dried parsley and black pepper.

Step 5: Combined the crushed butter crackers with the cooked ingredients and chopped clams. Stir in the romano cheese and mix till well combined. Add in some of the reserved clam juice if the the stuffing appears too dry.

Step 6: Preheat the oven to 375F or 190C. Divide stuffing evenly between all the half shells. Spread stuffing evenly onto shell. Bake for 20 minutes till golden brown. Serve with fresh lemon wedges and hot sauce. It is perfect with a cup of Boston clam chowder.