My friend Alden (age 8) and her sister Piper (my goddaughter, age 5) took me clam digging this weekend. It wasn’t exactly what I expected. Although we went out in low tide, we still had to get chest deep in the water to find a sandy spot to scrape the bottom of with our toes. We found about 6 empty shells or rocks for every intact clam. We were out for more than an hour, shoulders sunburned and toes scraped, nearly stung by red jellyfish, and managed to get a grand total of 9 clams (3 clams each). I know there are more efficient ways to do this (as I’m sure some of you will tell me), but at the end of the day, it didn’t matter. Hunting for clams was just a great excuse to play in the warm sea water on a beautiful sunny day. Here’s the recipe for stuffed clams (also called “stuffies”) that Alden and Piper’s mom Heidi made with our hard-earned catch.
Stuffed Clam Variations
Cook a few strips of bacon until fat renders but not brown or crispy, chop and mix in with the stuffing.Use crumbled up Ritz crackers for the breadcrumbs.Put a little piece of cheddar cheese underneath the clam mixture in each clam, that way you get a little melted cheese with each bite!
Do you have a favorite recipe for stuffed clams? Please let us know about it in the comments. I’ve heard that they are especially good with a little Portuguese sausage mixed in the stuffing. If you’ve purchasing clams, keep them in the refrigerator covered with a damp, wet towel. If you have dug up your clams, keep them covered with cool sea water in a bucket. Throw away any cracked or broken clams. Remove clams from the pot and let cool enough to handle. Discard any clams that have not opened (if they haven’t opened it means they were dead to begin with and should not be eaten). Cook the garlic for 1 minute, then add the parsley, bread crumbs, minced clams, lemon juice, and clam juice. Stir until the stuffing mixture is completely moistened. (If too dry, add a bit more butter or clam juice; if too wet, add a bit more breadcrumbs. Bake at 350°F for approximately 20 to 25 minutes, until Parmesan is lightly browned on top.
