It may be the smallest state in the U.S., but with 400 miles of coastline, Rhode Island has a well-deserved reputation for excellent seafood, from squid to oysters. Nothing says “Ocean State” quite like quahogs, though. The delicious hard-shelled clams are inseparable from iconic local dishes like clear Rhode Island clam chowder and the stuffed clams called stuffies.

What are quahogs?

Say the word “quahog” and many people immediately think of Family Guy, but the fictional setting of the animated TV series was named for Mercenaria mercenaria, commonly called a quahog in Rhode Island, where creator Seth McFarlane attended college. Quahogs are native to a long stretch of the Eastern seaboard, from Canada to Central America, and they’re particularly concentrated around New England and especially important to the economy and identity of Rhode Island, where they’re the official state shellfish.

Quahogs have been prized for their sweet meat, bracing brine, and attractive shells since long before Europeans colonized these shores; quahog is a shortening of poquauhock, the Narragansett tribe’s word for the valuable mollusks. The current common name for the species can be confusing, though, as “quahog” is also one of the ways to refer to the largest size of a quahog, also known as a chowder clam. Clocking in at three or more inches wide and up to six ounces, the chowder quahog typically gets chopped for cooking purposes — including as part of clam chowder, which originated with Native Americans — since it’s a bit tough and intense for eating whole, whereas smaller sizes like tiny littlenecks and mid-size cherrystones are tender enough to serve raw on the half shell.

When is quahog season?

Clammers harvest quahogs year-round, so there’s no bad time to order them, but Quahog Week in May is a particularly fun time to dig in, when dozens of local venues offer clam specials. If you want to take home some of the same clams that many of the best restaurants in the area use, try Andrade’s Catch, a family-owned wholesale market and retail shop in Bristol where the quahogs are often sold the same day they’re caught; stuffies are also available. Many people enjoy wading through the shallows digging their own quahogs, and Rhode Island residents can even do so on a whim. “You’re allowed to harvest a certain amount free each day without a license” — up to half a bushel, or 16 quarts by volume, in some areas — says Bo Vestal, co-owner of New Rivers, who, like many local chefs, speaks fondly of the quahogging tradition.

(Here’s how nonresidents can apply for a license and where to try shellfishing and clamming.)

Where to eat quahogs in Rhode Island

Practically every Rhode Island restaurant and market sells quahogs in some form. New Rivers, a venerable farm-to-table restaurant in Providence, typically serves littlenecks freshly shucked and sometimes braised in a garlicky, tomato-rich white-wine broth with grilled garlic bread. A similar dish of roasted clams with white wine and bold arrabbiata sauce is a fan favorite at Al Forno, famously Providence’s inventor of grilled pizza. Gift Horse, the stunning raw bar sibling to Providence gem Oberlin, also shucks Narragansett Bay littlenecks to order, pairing them with kimchi mignonette or fermented green chili hot sauce. Fried clams, clam cakes, and stuffies are all the rage at summery shacks like Evelyn’s Drive-In in Tiverton and Aunt Carrie’s, which claims to have sold Rhode Island’s first clam cakes when it opened over 100 years ago in Narragansett.

Places that don’t have clams today might tomorrow. Frank & Laurie’s, a buzzy new cafe in Providence, is working on a stuffie recipe, which makes sense given the business’ cute clam logo and the quahog tattoo on co-owner Eric Brown’s arm, which he shows off while calling for “Justice for clear chowder.” Creamy white New England clam chowder and red, tomato-filled Manhattan clam chowder overshadow Rhode Island clam chowder, but the mix of quahogs and potatoes in a light clam broth is beautiful in its simplicity. One of the best places to try it is at Sly Fox Den Too in Charlestown, where Mashpee Wampanoag chef Sherry Pocknett became the first Indigenous woman to win a James Beard Award in 2023.

At its charming seafood shacks in downtown Providence and Riverside in East Providence, Dune Brothers Seafood also makes a must-try clear chowder, filled with large quahogs just chopped in half so they don’t slip out of the limelight. While it’s true a long decline in numbers of quahogs and the quahoggers who harvest them has legislators and scientists seeking solutions, the clams are still relatively abundant and, like oysters farmed or wild, provide benefits to the environment such as improved water quality. Quahogs are part of Dune Brothers’ conscientious approach to seafood, as they’re “one of the cheaper options, sustainable but also accessible so anybody can get [them],” says general manager Leah McCann.

Alongside clear chowder, stuffies are one of Rhode Island’s most beloved quahog specialties. These stuffed clams feature mid-size cherrystones or large quahogs chopped up with breadcrumbs and seasoning, baked in the shell until ideally crisp outside and tender inside. Wakefield’s Matunuck Oyster Bar specializes in the style. It’s a top spot for littlenecks raw or with linguini. In Providence, Pizza Marvin is a surprising home to quahogs many ways, including in their shells atop a white Chowdah pie, in clam dip with potato chips from custom branded bags, and baked as stuffies with chouriço. Stuffies often incorporate kicky elements like linguiça or chouriço, paprika, and peppers thanks to the influence of Rhode Island’s Portuguese American community, the largest in the country. For something closer to traditional Portuguese than Portuguese American, try carne de porco alentejana, or marinated pork with fried potatoes and local littlenecks, at O Dinis in East Providence. The dish is a lovely accompaniment to the beloved restaurant’s live fado music on Mondays.