History

The stuffie is Rhode Island's Portuguese-and-Italian-influenced take on the Narragansett Bay quahog. Cape Verdean and Portuguese fisherfolk in Fox Point and along the South Coast built the dish around chourico and pao, the bread-and-sausage-spiced version that became canonical. Quahog supplies stayed strong through the 20th century, and the stuffie became a year-round shore-and-bar staple. The clam chowder, clam cake and stuffie trio is the canonical Rhode Island shore plate.

Common allergens: Shellfish, Gluten, Pork

Make it at home

Yield Makes 12 stuffiesHands-on 30 minTotal 60 minDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 12 large quahogs (chowder clams), about 8cm across
  • 240ml clam juice (from the steamed quahogs)
  • 120g chorizo (Portuguese chouriço if available), small dice
  • 1 small yellow onion, fine diced
  • 1 small green bell pepper, fine diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 150g coarse breadcrumbs (Portuguese pao if possible)
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 2 tbsp chopped parsley
  • 60g salted butter, melted
  • 1 lemon, cut in wedges
  • Hot sauce to serve

Method

  1. Steam the quahogs in a covered pot with 240ml water for 8 to 12 minutes until they open. Reserve the cooking liquid; strain through a coffee filter.
  2. Remove the meat from each shell. Keep 12 half-shells, scrubbed clean.
  3. Chop the quahog meat fine; you should have about 240g.
  4. Render the chorizo in a wide pan over medium heat until the fat releases, 4 minutes. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic; cook 5 minutes until soft.
  5. Off the heat, stir in chopped quahog, breadcrumbs, oregano, smoked paprika, pepper flakes, parsley, and 120ml of the reserved clam juice. The mixture should be moist but not wet; add more juice if dry.
  6. Heat oven to 200C (400F).
  7. Pack the stuffing into the 12 reserved half-shells, mounded above the rim. Place on a baking tray.
  8. Drizzle melted butter over each stuffie. Bake 15 to 20 minutes until tops are deep golden.
  9. Serve hot with lemon wedges and hot sauce.

Tip from the editors. If you can't get fresh quahogs, use 240g chopped canned clams plus 240ml bottled clam juice; the texture is rougher but the flavor lands.

This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.

Where to eat stuffies

Stuffies in Providence

Hemenway's ★ 4.3

Chef Newport Restaurant Group$60-110 a la carteBook 1-2 weeks ahead

Hemenway's reopened March 5, 2025 after a refresh of the bar, raw bar and lobster tanks. Downtown riverside seafood since 1985 on South Main.

Order: The shellfish platter from the raw bar plus a one-and-a-quarter pound Maine lobster.

Tip: Raw bar walks in; book the river-view dining tables through OpenTable.

121 South Main Street, Providence, RI 02903

More cities are in research. Want stuffies covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.

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