Sleuthing, Securing, Shucking, and Stuffing Quahogs ...

Since 1987, the quahog has been the official shellfish for the state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. Whether you’re a resident or visitor to the Ocean State who chooses to sleuth and secure quahogs for following seafood recipes, brake for any of our numerous clam shacks along the Atlantic coast, or elect to dine at one of our finest eateries—I highly recommend the stuffed quahog, colloquially referred to as a “stuffie.”

You might say this exposé is in conjunction with one of my previously published Memoirs, “Dances with Quahogs,” available for sleuthing at Authors Den.

QUAHOGS: 'Mercenaria mercenaria'—Latin for “wages” is apropos because the Narragansett Indians, native to Rhode Island, used “poquahock” shells to make beads representative of money they called “wampum.” Rhode Islanders who have their own unique accent and vernacular, refer to this roundish, bivalve mollusk with hard, hinged shells consisting of two halves as a quahog, pronounced—KO-hog, KWO-hog, or KWA-hog.

Quahogs are generally found in estuaries such as Narragansett Bay where the mixing of fresh and salt water provide ideal conditions for them to harvest. Since Rhode Island supplies a quarter of our nation’s annual commercial quahog catch, it is no surprise the quintessential quahog was chosen as our state’s official shellfish in 1987.

Muscling for Quahogs: Dredging vs. Hand-raking

During the 1950s it became apparent two groups of commercial quahoggers competed for digging the bountiful sea harvest of quahogs: dredgers who used boats to drag metal dredges across the bottom; hand-rakers who used their own muscle power to dislodge shellfish with bullrakes or tongs. Since the hand-rakers justified their complaint about the dredgers depleting the quahog population and putting them out of work, dredging in Narragansett Bay is restricted. Alas, pollution in the Bay has affected the quahog industry from disease-carrying bacteria and toxic compounds, whereby even low level contaminants can be cumulative and harmful.

One rule of thumb when sleuthing is that quahogs are generally found within the top 3 inches just below the sand or mud surface between high and low tide, predicating an easier digging experience during low tide. Though my grandfather would pry open a quahog or two by severing the bivalve’s adductor muscles with a jackknife, and slurp it raw— there are a few things you should know before venturing into the muckety muck to scrape bottom. Consulting RI’s Department of Environmental Management via phone or website is strongly advised before scouring the surface.

1. There is a risk involved with eating raw seafood. To reduce your chances of contracting gastroenteritis, typhoid, or hepatitis, dig only in approved areas and heed warning signs.

2. Non-Rhode Island residents need a license which may be obtained at town halls and bait shops.

3. Size matters! In Rhode Island, our statewide catch limit is ½ bushel of quahogs per person per day. Quahogs with a shell thickness or hinge width of less than 1 inch are considered below legal harvest size. (1 inch -21/2 in. long quahogs are called “littlenecks”; 2 ½ - 3 in. long quahogs are “cherrystones”; anything larger are “chowders”).

4. Keep abreast of special shellfish management areas with lower limitations as well as specific opening/closing dates.

Now that you’ve been forewarned, all you need for procuring and securing booty by the Bay is a pair of old shoes or sneakers to protect your feet. The methodology is entirely up to you. I’ve used my bare hands to scour for quahogs. Others “tread” by probing the sand with their feet until feeling a quahog, then pull it out by hand. Otherwise, you can use a hand-rake or clam rake which resembles a garden rake except for longer tines and a shorter handle.

Home with your catch of the day, you should thoroughly rinse quahogs in cold water to remove sand. Discard any shellfish already opened, a telltale sign they are dead or dying. Chill the quahogs on ice, or store in the fridge for up to a week. The cold enables the quahogs to relax before opening them.
When the day of reckoning has dawned to serve your quahogs on the half shell, or you intend to chop them to brew chowder, or add them to a sauce for pasta, or bake stuffies-- it’s time to shuck.

To open a quahog, work a shucking knife with your dominant hand, while holding the quahog in the other. The object is to penetrate the space between the shells, and slide the knife along the inside of one shell to cut the two adductor muscles. Once open, you can detach the meat to prepare your seafood specialty.

With culinary influences by Native Americans and Italian and Portuguese immigrants, Rhode Island leaves a food heritage trail of iconic seafood specials. After all that sleuthing, securing, and shucking, here’s a recipe declared a “Winner of the Amateur Division at the 1985 Quahog Festival in North Kingstown, RI”:


First Prize Baked Stuffed Quahogs by Eric Bense

12 quahogs
3 tablespoons oil
2 to 3 onions, chopped
3 to 4 stalks celery, chopped
Part of a loaf of dry white bread
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper, or to taste
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon chopped parsley

Shuck the quahogs, saving the juices and shells. To make them easier to shuck, you may put quahogs into the freezer for about an hour, or zap them in the microwave for 30 seconds to relax the muscle. Chop quahogs. Chop or tear bread into small pieces. Saute onions and celery in oil.

Combine quahogs, their juices, onions, celery, pepper, garlic powder and parsley. Add enough of the bread to create the desired consistency. It should be a little moist. If you add too much bread, moisten it with a little water. Stuff shells.

Bake on baking sheet at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Put a little paprika and additional chopped parsley on top after cooking. (Makes 24)

No matter how you play the shell game, you’ll clamor for the quintessential quahog—Rhode Island’s official state shellfish. It’s your Bay booty call whether you slurp them raw from the half shell, boil them in brine flavored with hot pepper flakes and a bay leaf, or chop them up to make chowder or pasta sauce.

I highly recommend braking at any one of our clam shacks, upscale seafood restaurants, or securing and shucking your own quahogs to try a stuffie spiced with the heritage of Rhode Island. While you’re at it, don’t be afraid to shuck conservatism to liberally top yours off with lemon juice, cocktail sauce, or horseradish.