- 8 slices bread
- 8 slices of bacon, chopped into ½-inch pieces
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 chopped garlic cloves
- 1 medium white onion, diced
- 1 medium green bell pepper, diced
- 6 large quahogs, opened and chopped with juice and shells
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Garnish: lime and lemon wedges
- Dice the bread slices into ½-inch cubes and dry overnight or in an oven at 300°F for about 10 minutes.
- In a large heavy-bottomed skillet, cook the chopped bacon. When the bacon is just browned, add the crushed red pepper and garlic. Sauté for 1 minute.
- Add the diced veggies and continue to sauté for 3 to 4 minutes until the onion and pepper are just soft.
- Add the chopped clam meat and reserved clam juice and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. The mixture should boil.
- Remove from heat and stir in the dried bread cubes, parsley, and black pepper. Allow the mixture to cool a bit before stuffing into shells. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Make sure the clamshells are clean. Mound the mixture into each half shell and place the filled shells on a baking tray.
- Baked stuffed quahogs for 20 to 25 minutes or until nicely browned on top.
- Serve with lemon and lime wedges.