Clams have been a staple in New England for hundreds of years.

These shellfish can be used to create a wide variety of dishes and they are packed with rich flavors and textures. 

Two of the all-time favorites dishes where clams are used are clam casino and stuffed clams  

These dishes can easily be confused for each other as they are presented by serving clam meat in its half shell.

Apart from the clam meat, clams casino also features some of the ingredients found in stuffed clams. 

However, both dishes are quite different.

In this post, we take a look at the differences between these two clam preparations.

Difference between stuffed clam and clams casino

Clam casino can easily be confused for stuffed clams; however, both of these dishes are different when it comes to the way that they are prepared  

In stuffed clams, the half shell is filled with a stuffing made from a mix of chopped or minced clam meat and other ingredients. 

On the other hand, the clam meat is not chopped in clams casino but baked whole in its bottom shell after it has been removed 

Clam casino is also made with smaller sized little neck or cherry stone clams while stuffed clams is made with made with larger size clams known as quahogs  

Clams like cherrystone, littleneck clams are not used for stuffed clams due to their small size 

Clams casino description

This dish was first made by Julius Keller in 1917 at a casino in Rhode Island 

It can also be found nationwide, although there could be slight variations in the recipe.  

To make this dish, small sized clams such as littleneck or cherrystone clams are used

Clams casino is a savory dish where whole clam meat is baked in its bottom shell bed on a bed of rock Salt  

Once the clams are shucked open. The meat is removed, and the shells are halved. One half of the shell is discarded, and the other half is wash thoroughly  

The clam meat is also topped with a mixture of breadcrumbs, sautéed vegetables, crispy fried bacon and cheese.

Rock salt is poured into the baking pan, and then the shells are placed on top then baked in the oven.

This dish can be Seasoned with oregano, paprika, basil, salt, pepper dry white wine and lemon juice.

Stuffed clams

This dish is also a popular clam dish in Rhode Island and can easily be found in restaurants around Rhode Island.

Stuffed Clams could also be known as Stuffed Quahogs.

There are variations in the choice of ingredients and also the way this dish is prepared.

Typically, quahogs are used, although other types of clams could be used as well. 

Quahog is a large sized hard-shell clam.

Fresh clams or canned clams can either be used to make clams casino. However, it’s best to make use of fresh clams. 

The clam meat is chopped or minced, and then it is mixed together with breadcrumbs.

The mixture can also be flavored with onion, garlic, celery, bell pepper, spices, herbs, lemon juice and cheese.  

The chopped clam meat and breadcrumb mixture is stuffed into their half shells.

Stuffed clams are baked or broiled in an oven until the mixture is well browned  

This dish is popularly eaten as an appetizer and could be served alongside lemon wedges