Blog #37: Quahog




When I was 19 years old, I got to spend a summer in Cape Cod, MA, doing theatre. It was pretty much a college students dream! Working on shows, weekly, during the days while performing a different show at night with just one evening off per week…it was heaven. We were living, breathing and sleeping musicals. I shared a large room with 7 other young ladies (yes, SEVEN) and didn’t seem to mind at all! Ah,youth. Oddly enough, I was considered one of the best dancers of the group, coming out of the rigorous training we had at Tisch School of the Arts/ CAP 21. I laugh about it now, knowing how it is definitely my weakest link in the triple threat world but way back when, I was all right at partner work, lifts and if I remember correctly, I even did the splits on stage!! 


The work was so much fun, that we didn’t feel like we “needed” more time off than we had, but we certainly did make the most of those Sunday nights off. We would often go into town to eat the famous Quahog. Now, if you are not from the coastal, Northeastern part of the US, like me at that time, you may not have any clue what this is. Allow me to enlighten you! 


A quahog is a type of hard-shell clam. It is an edible, bivalve mollusk. It is native to the Eastern shores of North America. At that point of my life, I wasn’t really a fan of shellfish (besides shrimp and lobster) because of the slimy texture. You’d never find me eating mussels and fries (which I now adore), oysters or even linguini and clams (another fan favorite). However, the preparation of the quahog in Cape Cod is to die for. 


On menus, you will see them called “stuffed quahogs” and you do not want to pass them up! Any way you stuff them, they are really delicious, but a popular stuffing recipe includes chopped clam meat, sausage, breadcrumbs, parsley and onions. Isn’t your mouth watering already? Imagine your favorite Thanksgiving stuffing, with chopped clams, filled into a  (quahog) shell and baked to perfection. The texture is beyond pleasing with a crispy exterior and a slightly chewy interior. This was one way I could totally get behind the delectable clam! I was hooked. I was ready to go with anyone who wanted to accompany me to get stuffed quahogs, every Sunday. What a wonderful thing it was to look forward to, after 6, 12 hour days in a row. By the way, these clams tend to be about 4 inches wide, if not slightly bigger so we're not talking about stuffing the tiny little clams that come in your linguini. 


While I have only ever eaten or seen these in the charming and beautiful Cape Cod, you can find them in various other Northeastern states in the US, including Rhode Island. I haven’t been back since the days of the College Light Opera Company, but I am determined to revisit that place. I have the fondest memories of that oceanside city. When I do get back there, my first stop will be to get a stuffed quahog. Put it on your list too. You won’t regret it! 

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