If you’ve never cooked with clams at home, let me be the first to tell you it’s not as scary as you think! Stuffed clams are a quintessential dish, loved by many in New England, and with a few simple steps, you’ll be enjoying them at home own in no time!
A few things to note:
- You absolutely must clean your clams before steaming and eating. They hold a lot of sand and grit, and no one wants to eat that. Read below on how to purge clams and get them ready for stuffing!
- A properly cooked clam is never overly chewy. Simply steam for 5-7 minutes, then chop and add to our flavorful filling of shallots, garlic, ‘nduja, breadcrumbs, and parmesan!
Seriously, the ‘nduja is a game changer! It adds a smoky flavor, and works beautifully with the clams. Ever wonder why so many recipes call for clams and sausage together? It’s that sweet and spicy marriage that just works!
Ingredient Notes
Simple is best! We’re using a few key ingredients to get the most flavor possible.
- Fresh clams (these are Littleneck clams, but you can other varieties!)
- Unsalted butter
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Shallot
- Garlic
- ‘Nduja
- Breadcrumbs (not panko)
- Parmigiano Reggiano
- Lemon Zest
- Kosher salt
You will not believe how much flavor the ‘nduja adds to the clams! Our favorite brand is La Quercia, which is available at Whole Foods and online. We love adding ‘nduja to everything from Turkish eggs and sautéed maitake mushrooms to pizza and pasta!
Best Clams To Use
First, just know that you can stuff any type of clam. We tend to steer clear of Cockles, as they’re so small, but otherwise most clams are fair game!
Our go-to’s for this recipe are Cherrystone clams. Why? They have a delicate, sweet clam flavor (similar to Littleneck clams) and are large enough to stuff. We just love them! Littlenecks, though slightly smaller, are equally delicious to use for stuffed clams.
Manilla clams (let’s call these ‘medium-sized’) will certainly work, and Quahog clams (pronounced coh-hog), also known as chowder clams, are very traditional (they’re larger) in stuffed preparations. So many options!
Just remember to adjust cook times depending on which type of fresh clam you end up using.
Note: when buying fresh clams, tap the shell to detect movement. This could be them snapping shut or sealing tightly. If there’s no movement, they might already be dead. You’ll have another chance to make sure they’re good to eat (when steaming). More info below!
Store clams in an open bag in the refrigerator until needed.
How To Make Stuffed Clams
This is not a 30 minute recipe, and we know it requires some forethought. The process of making stuffed clams is actually quite easy, there are just multiple steps. Let’s break it down:
- Purge the clams. You’ll want to submerge the clams fully in cool, salty water for 30 minutes to clean them. Lift the clams out and replace the water. Repeat until clams no longer release any sand. Do not skip this step!
- Steam the clams. Bring 1-2 cups of water to a rapid boil in a large pot or pan. Add cleaned clams, working in batches so as not to overcrowd the pan, then cover and steam for 5-7 minutes. Remove clams as their shells open and transfer to a large rimmed baking sheet. Discard any clams that do not open, as they were dead before cooking.
- Remove clams from shell. Carefully remove the clam meat and remove skin covering the siphon, if desired. The skin can hold onto grit or sand, so it’s best to dip the peeled clams in warm water to remove anything you don’t want to eat. Simply dip, then transfer cleaned clams to a bowl.
- Reserve half the clam shell. Once cleaned, break the clam shell in half, placing half on a rimmed baking sheet to be stuffed. Discard remaining shell halves.
- Finely chop the clams. Use a sharp knife to mince the clam meat, then place in a large mixing bowl.
- Sauté aromatics. Heat butter and olive oil in a sauté pan or skillet, then cook shallots, garlic, and ‘nduja. Once melted, toss with breadcrumbs, Parmigiano Reggiano, fresh parsley, and chopped clam meat.
- Stuff the clams. Fill each halved clam shell with a heaping spoonful of the clam mixture. Repeat until all shells are filled.
- Bake the clams. Cook at 350 F until golden brown and crispy on top, about 15-20 minutes.
How To Serve
Other than a squeeze of fresh lemon, you mean?
It depends on whether you’re serving this as an appetizer or main course. When stuffed clams are the appetizer, we love to pair them with a light seafood entrée: grilled swordfish, slow baked salmon, something like that and some sautéed spinach.
If you’re serving stuffed clams as an entrée, however, nothing beats a big spinach salad and an ice cold beer or glass of rosé!
Stuffed clams can be assembled the day before, then reheated in an oven for 15-20 minutes to warm throughout.
So now we want to know: have you ever made stuffed clams at home?! If not, what’s holding you back? We think this recipe is so beautiful and impressive that it will blow the whole fam away!
If you make our Stuffed Clams, please let us know by leaving a review and rating below!
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For more seafood recipes, check out the following:
- Grilled lobster tails and clams
- Spicy crab pasta
- Chili bourbon glazed salmon
- Miso cod
- Mignonette recipe for oysters and other shellfish
Stuffed Clams Recipe
Ingredients
- 24 Cherrystone clams or 4 dozen Littleneck clams
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 medium shallot finely chopped, about 2-3 Tbsp
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup 'Nduja or chorizo sausage
- 1 cup traditional breadcrumbs
- ½ cup Parmigiano Reggiano grated
- ¼ cup parsley finely chopped
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- 1 lemon zested
Instructions
- Purge the clams. You'll want to submerge the clams fully in cool, salty water for 30 minutes to clean them. Lift the clams out and replace the water. Repeat until clams no longer release any sand. If you can spare an hour or so, do not skip this step!
- Steam the clams. Preheat oven to 350 F. Bring 1-2 cups of water to a rapid boil in a large pot or pan. Add cleaned clams, working in batches so as not to overcrowd the pan, then cover and steam for 5-7 minutes. Remove clams as their shells open and transfer to a large rimmed baking sheet. Discard any clams that do not open, as they were dead before cooking.
- Remove clams from shell. Carefully remove the clam meat and remove skin covering the siphon, if desired. The skin can hold onto grit or sand, so it's best to dip the peeled clams in warm water to remove anything you don't want to eat. Simply dip, then transfer cleaned clams to a bowl.
- Reserve half the clam shell. Once cleaned, break the clam shell in half, placing half on a rimmed baking sheet to be stuffed. Discard remaining shell halves.
- Finely chop the clams. Use a sharp knife to mince the clam meat, then place in a large mixing bowl.
- Sauté aromatics. Heat butter and olive oil in a sauté pan or skillet, then cook shallots, garlic, and 'nduja. Once melted, toss with breadcrumbs, Parmigiano Reggiano, fresh parsley, and chopped clam meat.
- Stuff the clams. Fill each halved clam shell with a heaping spoonful of the clam mixture. Repeat until all shells are filled.
- Bake the clams. Cook until golden brown and crispy on top, about 15-20 minutes. Serve immediately with lemon wedges and additional chopped parsley, if desired.
Let us know your thoughts!