For Stuffed Clams That Taste Outstanding, Make Sure To Start With The Right Shells

If you're unfamiliar with the many seafood delights particular to New England cuisine, it's time to start stuffing some clams, pronto. Also known as "stuffies," these tasty little mollusks are made by mixing minced clam meat with breadcrumbs, onion, garlic and other mix-ins and baking it in the clam half-shells. They're a staple dish in New England, especially Rhode Island, where many natives have grown up catching and eating clams their whole life. Whether or not you enjoy the particular taste and texture of clams on their own, almost everyone can get behind them in breaded and baked form.

Because they're served on the half-shell, working with the right type of clams is essential. For instance, the difference between soft-shell and hard-shell clams becomes particularly important when shells are essential to the dish. For more insight into preparing stuffed clams, Chowhound spoke with Russell Kook, executive chef of The Bellevue in Chicago. According to Kook, "butter clams, quahogs, and topneck clams are easy to work with and can handle stuffing, while still having a nice flavor." Size is also important to consider when cooking with clams, he notes, adding that 2.5 to 3 inches is best. "You need the clam to be big enough to add toppings to, but also not too big. Smaller clams tend to have a sweeter taste and nicer texture," he exclusively told us.

If you live outside of New England or other areas where clams are abundant, cooking with clams can be a little more challenging. Using canned clams is a more accessible way to give an oceanic flavor to pasta and other dishes like stuffing. But just how well do the canned variety swap in for fresh ones in stuffed clams? According to Russell Kook, they can be an easy and convenient substitute, especially because "they come chopped and ready to use." However, he points out that, "You do lose the freshness of raw clams, plus you won't have the shell for presentation."

Part of the fun of stuffed clams is eating them on the half-shell, and the only way to mimic this presentation with the canned variety is to use cleaned, leftover shells from previously used clams. If you do decide to go this route, Kook also recommends zhuzhing up your stuffing a bit more to account for the difference in freshness. "If you're using canned clams, add a little clam juice to amp up the flavor," he says. He also advises toasting your breadcrumbs, since "toasting will help keep the filling from getting soggy," and considering additional meaty ingredients. "If you're going with canned clams, I would use some other ingredients that help with the wow factor, like bacon or sausage," he explains. In Rhode Island and the surrounding region, Portuguese chouriço is a particularly popular mix-in for stuffed clams.