I had never heard of a quahog (KO-hog) until I moved to Providence in 2001, but quickly discovered that this large clam was on quite a few menus across the state.

Not being a fan of New England clam chowder, I prefer to eat my quahogs stuffed–aka stuffies. It’s prepared much like a turkey stuffing, with quahogs, bread, spices and my favorite way–with bacon. The mixture is combined and then placed back in the empty shell to bake. The very best are crispy on the outside from the oven, and quite moist and soft in the inside.

So on my quick trip back to Rhode Island for the weekend we hit Iggy’s and dug into stuffies, whole-belly fried clams and doughboys–that’s fried dough to the rest of the country.

Here are some recipes for stuffies, lobster, clamcakes and more from the Providence Journal. Enjoy the food!

But one meal was not enough and we opted for burgers and fries the next day from Stanley’s. For me: cheeseburger and ‘Quebec style’ fries. The gravy wasn’t as rich as more authentic Poutine I’ve tasted, but the smothered fries are still a great snack choice–especially after a few beers.