Caroline's Cooking

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New England style stuffed clams

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New England style stuffed clams are a delicious appetizer made with steamed clams & seasoned buttered breadcrumbs, baked until crisp on top but moist inside.

New England-style stuffed clams - a delicious seafood appetizer

One of the great things for me about having lived in a few different places, and traveling, is trying different foods and in particular the regional specialties. Sometimes they are everywhere, sometimes they take a little more hunting down or you just don’t notice them at first.

They can often be fairly simple, humble dishes using local produce to show it off at it’s best. Other times they are dishes that suit the climate perfectly, whether that’s something warm and hearty or light and refreshing.

Having lived in the Boston area for a few years now we’ve managed to try a good number of the regional foods, many of them a few times. New England style stuffed clams are a regional dish that I wasn’t aware of before we moved here but it’s one we’ve grown to love. However I had never made them myself, until now. And now I know I’ll have to make them again soon.

New England stuffed clams

New England style stuffed clams are very common at festivals and events in the area and are a staple in summer ‘clam shacks’ alongside lobster rolls, battered seafood and chowder. Sometimes they are called stuffed quahogs, after the name of one of the most common types of clam they are made from.

One of our local fish markets has a restaurant where we’ve had them but I’ve also memorably enjoyed them at the cranberry festival we’ve been to in Cape Cod a couple times alongside one of the tastiest seafood bisques I’ve had (one to re-create another day!).

clams for New England stuffed clams

What are New England-style stuffed clams?

New England style stuffed clams are essentially large clams steamed, the meat removed and diced then mixed with a mixture of buttered breadcrumbs, onion, garlic and parsley. There’s usually a bit of additional flavor from some lemon juice and a little paprika or cayenne pepper and some have red pepper mixed in. The mixture is then stuffed back into a half shell from the clams and baked until brown and slightly crisp.

making New England stuffed clams

Variations on stuffed clams

The texture of the stuffing can vary from very smooth to a little chunky. Probably unsurprisingly, many commercial versions are a bit heavier on the breadcrumbs than I have made here, but the flavors are essentially the same.

I’ve made them slightly chunky as I like to be able to notice the clams in there and alongside less breadcrumbs, you get lots of delicious flavor coming through.

making New England stuffed clams

What type of clam should you use?

The most common type of clams to use are quahogs or cherrystone but I think any large clam would be fine. Smaller ones won’t have enough meat compared to the size of the shell to really work, I think, though if that’s all you can find let me know how they work out.

New England style stuffed clams are something I always associate with enjoying outdoors on a nice day but they really work anytime. They are especially good as an appetizer or alongside other foods to make up a lunch or dinner. However you have them is up to you, but do give them a try as they are truly delicious. They’re a New England treat that should be enjoyed wherever you are.

New England style stuffed clams are a delicious appetizer made with steamed clams & seasoned buttered breadcrumbs, baked until crisp on top but moist within

Like seafood finger food? Try these!

New England-style stuffed clams - a delicious seafood appetizer
Print Recipe
5 from 6 votes

New England style stuffed clams

New England stuffed clams take steamed clams, mix them with seasoned crumbs and bake to perfection.
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time35 mins
Total Time45 mins
Course: Appetizer/Starter
Cuisine: American
Keyword: baked stuffed clams, New England food
Servings: 4
Calories: 221kcal
Author: Caroline's Cooking

Ingredients

  • 8 clams large, quahogs or cherrystone
  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter 45g
  • 1/2 onion
  • 1 clove garlic large (2 small)
  • 1/4 red pepper
  • 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs 30g
  • 2 tbsp fresh parsley finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup parmesan 10g, finely grated
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste - I used 1/4tsp and you can tell it's there; you can use paprika if you prefer it not to have the heat)

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350F/175C.
  • Rinse the clams of any grit then steam clams in around 1in/23cm boiling water until they open up, around 8-10min. Remove them from the water (save some of it), allow the clams to cool then take them off the shell - if a bit gets stuck don't worry about it, that's the 'foot' that's not as tender to eat. Split the shells open and keep 8 of the best for stuffing. NB if clams don't open on steaming, don't use them, this means they were already dead.
  • While the clams are cooking, finely dice the onion and pepper and mince the garlic.
  • Warm the butter in a skillet/frying pan and soften the onion in the butter for a minute or two. Then add the garlic and pepper and cook another minute before adding the breadcrumbs.
  • Cook the crumbs a minute before adding everything else (parsley, lemon juice, parmesan and cayenne pepper (or paprika). Mix well. Add a tablespoon or two of the water from cooking the clams so that the mixture holds together fairly well.
  • Divide the mixture between the 8 shells you held back and press it so it holds together. Put them in a baking dish and bake for approx 20 minutes until they gently brown on top.

Nutrition

Calories: 221kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 326mg | Potassium: 99mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 14.9% | Vitamin C: 17.9% | Calcium: 13.2% | Iron: 8.6%

 Try these other seafood appetizers:

See all the other regional specialties being shared today:

Appetizers:

Beverages:

Salads:

Sauces:

Side Dishes:

Soups:

Main Dish:

Desserts:

Plus Rhubarb Steamed Pudding and Favorite Regional Recipes from Sunday Supper Movement

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New England style stuffed clams are a delicious appetizer made with steamed clams & seasoned buttered breadcrumbs, baked until crisp on top but moist within. #clams #stuffedclams #appetizer

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Comments

  1. Monica says

    January 30, 2019 at 11:05 pm


    Wow! You did an incredible job with this recipe! Itā€™s delicious! My entire family loved it. Thanks so much for sharing!

    Reply

  9. Anne says

    April 25, 2016 at 6:58 pm

    Yum! I love stuffed clams-I’m not too far from new England (NJ) and I vacation there a lot – love the seasfood when I visit!

    Reply

    • Caroline's Cooking says

      April 26, 2016 at 6:50 pm

      Thanks Anne, I agree the seafood here is great – good for me who was used to good seafood before, not sure I’d have coped without it!

      Reply

  11. Monica says

    April 25, 2016 at 9:23 am


    These are gorgeous! I prefer clams to the oysters that are so popular here. Next time the guys bring in a bucket I’m going to try your recipe!

    Reply

  12. Sara says

    April 24, 2016 at 10:31 pm

    I love that you use less breadcrumbs and more chunks! That’s how they should be (in my opinion) Yours look so classy and delicious!! Beautiful recipe!

    Reply

    • Caroline's Cooking says

      April 26, 2016 at 6:49 pm

      Thanks Barrie, indeed it’s great to have lots of lovely clam flavor rather than just buttery breadcrumbs and that’s definitely the case with these.

      Reply

    • Caroline's Cooking says

      April 26, 2016 at 6:47 pm

      Thanks Renee, I need to have a proper clam bake some time, but these are a lovely way to enjoy them as well.

      Reply

    • Caroline's Cooking says

      May 3, 2016 at 6:05 pm

      Thanks Michelle, yes they are great as part of a mix of appetizers, particularly other seafood dishes.

      Reply

    • Caroline's Cooking says

      April 26, 2016 at 6:33 pm

      Thanks Stacy, funnily I don’t think of them as dinner party food really since we’ve had them at festivals etc but now you say it I’m sure they would be great!

      Reply

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