Ingredients
- 2.5oz. Extra Virgin Olive Oil + more to finish
- 8oz. Small Diced Linguiça
- 4oz. Small Diced Onion
- 4oz. Small Diced Red Bell Pepper
- 1/2oz. Chopped Garlic
- 6oz. Fresh Bread Crumbs + more to finish
- 12ea. Large Cherrystone Clams, shucked, shells reserved and rinsed
- 1 pinch Sea Salt
- 1 Small Lemon, (Zest of)
- 1oz. Fresh Chopped Italian Parsley
- 2 jiggers Tabasco
- 1 jigger Worcestershire
Directions
1) Rinse the clams well and place them in the freezer for an hour, meanwhile prepare the vegetables and the sausage. Remove the clams from the freezer and shuck them, being sure to save their shells. Chop the clam meat and hold it in the refrigerator while you prepare the recipe.
2) Warm a large non-reactive saucepan over a medium-high flame. Add the olive oil. When the olive oil begins to shimmer in the pan, add the sausage and begin to render it out. Once the sausage has given up most of its fat add the onion and the bell pepper, cook this mixture for several minutes while stirring until the onions are translucent and the peppers are soft. Add the garlic, stir it into the mixture and cook it until it becomes aromatic. Just before removing the mixture from the fire add the clams, the lemon zest, the chopped parsley the Tabasco and the Worcestershire. Transfer this mixture to a bowl that is resting in a larger bowl filled with ice water. It is imperative to cool this mixture as quickly as possible. Mix the breadcrumbs into the Stuffies and season to taste with the sea salt.
3) To finish, pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking tray with ½” layer of salt to keep the Stuffies from tipping over. Divide the Stuffies mixture among the 24 clamshells and place them on the baking tray. Sprinkle the extra breadcrumbs over the Stuffies. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil over the Stuffies to moisten the breadcrumbs. Bake the Stuffies at 350 for 15-20 minutes, or until they are warmed through and golden brown. Serve immediately.