The Sunset Grill and Tap's Baked Stuffed
Quahogs
Water, as needed
6-8 oz. beer
12 quahogs, washed
1/2 c. margarine or butter
11 oz. Spanish onions, diced into -inch pieces
9 oz. celery, diced into -inch pieces
1 1/2 t. thyme
1 1/2 T. granulated garlic
3/4 T. white pepper
1 1/2 t. paprika
1/2 c. sherry
2 lbs. Ritz crackers, coarsely chopped
4 oz. chopped sea clams with juice
2 T. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 c. mayonnaise
Cover the bottom of a pot with 1 inch of water and place over high
heat. Add the beer and bring to a boil. Add the quahogs and steam
until the shells open. Remove from the heat and let cool. Do not
overcook.
Drain and reserve the cooking broth. Remove the quahogs from the
shells, coarsely chop the meat and set aside. Reserve the shells.
In a saute pan, melt the butter. Add the onions and celery. Saute
until the onions are translucent, but do not let them brown. Add the
thyme, garlic, pepper, paprika and sherry.
Place the crackers in a large mixing bowl. Add the sauteed mixture
and the chopped quahogs and combine thoroughly.
Add the chopped sea clams, Worcestershire sauce and mayonnaise.
Gently fold into the mixture. The texture should be moist enough to
hold together. If too dry, add a little juice (reserved from cooking
the quahogs); if too wet, add more cracker crumbs. Loosely fill each
clam shell with stuffing. (At this point, the prepared clams can be
refrigerated until ready to bake.)
To serve: Place the stuffed quahogs on a baking sheet. Bake at 350
degrees for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown and hot throughout.
Serve with butter, Tabasco sauce, lemon wedges and cold beers.
Makes 1 dozen. |