Dad’s Famous Stuffies

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