Keep Clam and Quahog On: The 8th Annual Quahog Week Is Set For May 11-18, Celebrating RI's State Clam, The Businesses That Serve It & The Labor Of Those Who Dig It

Published on Thursday, May 09, 2024

PROVIDENCE, RI – The Rhode Island and Department of Environmental Management (DEM) and Rhode Island Seafood Marketing Collaborative, a public-private body chaired by DEM, are proud to announce that the state’s eighth annual Quahog Week is set for May 11 to 18. The event ”shell-ebrates” the cultural and economic importance of Rhode Island’s state clam, the quahog, and raises awareness and demand for local seafood and the RI Seafood brand. The week-long celebration also shines a light on the hard-working men and women who harvest quahogs, and the vibrant local food industry that makes them available to consumers.

During Quahog Week, restaurants and markets across Rhode Island will celebrate this sustainable resource and its year-round availability by featuring a quahog dish on their menu. With Quahog Week now in its eighth year, excitement is building, particularly as the number of participating restaurants and markets has hit its highest number yet! So far, 57 venues including 33 restaurants and 24 markets are participating in the “shell-ebration!” Consumers should visit seafood.ri.gov for a full list of participating restaurants and markets and the specials they are offering. Additional restaurants and markets interested in participating are encouraged to sign up on our website. 

“Quahog Week is an opportunity for Rhode Islanders to celebrate the vitality of our local shellfish industry and the many riches of Narragansett Bay,” said Governor Dan McKee. “Quahogging has a long history in the Ocean State and supports the livelihoods of hundreds of diggers year-round, along with local restaurants and food-based businesses. Visiting one of the participating venues next week to purchase quahogs to cook at home or enjoy a meal made with delicious, freshly harvested clams is a great way to support Rhode Island restaurants and seafood markets and a chance savor a favorite quahog dish or try something new.”

“Quahog Week is a Rhode Island tradition, celebrating the cultural and economic importance of the shellfishing industry in the Ocean State,” said DEM Director Terry Gray. “In recent years, water quality improvements stemming from strong investments and environmental laws have allowed for increased shellfish harvest opportunities and the reclassification of areas from prohibited to conditionally approved for shellfish harvest. Cleaner local waters allow more quahogging opportunities for both commercial harvesters and families who enjoy digging their own. I invite all Rhode Islanders to take part in the week-long celebration of our iconic Rhode Island clam!”

Quahogs are the most economically important fishery resource harvested from Narragansett Bay. 15.4 million quahogs with an ex-vessel (off the boat) value of over $4 million were harvested from Narragansett Bay and Rhode Island coastal waters in 2023. Among all inshore and offshore marine fisheries, quahogs are the state’s fifth-most valuable, following squid, scallops, lobster, and summer flounder (based on 2022 ex-vessel values).

Quahogging is a year-round activity in Rhode Island, so the product is available, freshly harvested, throughout the year. Demand for these delicious local clams swells in the summer months due, in large part, to the popularity of fresh-shucked littlenecks, clam cakes, and stuffies. But they also make the perfect fare for chowders, pastas, and other dishes year-round. Targeting the spring season for Quahog Week helps to increase consumer awareness, demand, sales, and market opportunities for quahogs during a time of year when the fresh product is readily available, but often overlooked. In the last week alone, RI commercial harvesters landed over 100,000 pounds of it! 

The Rhode Island Seafood Marketing Collaborative will be hosting two public events during Quahog Week, allowing members of the public to meet hardworking quahoggers from the RI Shellfisherman’s Association, who will be shucking and serving complimentary littlenecks. A selection of restaurants and markets participating in Quahog Week also will be providing complimentary samples of quahog dishes. These events are free and open to the public. 

Quahog Week at Narragansett Brewery

Where:           Narragansett Beer Providence Brewery, 271 Tockwotton St., Providence, RI

When:             Wednesday, May 15, 5-7 PM

This event will feature Harvesters from the RI Shellfisherman's Association shucking and serving complimentary little necks. Small bites will be provided by Dave's Fresh Marketplace, Matunuck Oyster Bar, Dune Brothers, and Fearless Fish Market. This event is free and open to the public. 21+ only.

Quahog Week at The Guild Warren
Where:           The Guild Warren, 99 Water St., Suite 2, Warren, RI

When:             Thursday, May 16, 5-7 PM

This event will feature harvesters from the RI Shellfisherman’s Association shucking and serving complimentary little necks. Small bites will be provided by Matunuck Oyster Bar, and Blount's Clam Shack. This event is free and open to the public; all ages are welcome!

Both events offer fun and interesting opportunities to meet and thank the diggers who harvest RI quahogs year-round and make them available to seafood lovers throughout the state, and across the country. Mingle with friends. Enjoy some delicious food and beverages. Learn about, celebrate, and support RI’s thriving seafood industry and local “foodie” culture.

Participating restaurants offering quahog-based specials include 22 Bowen's Wine Bar & Grille in Newport; Avvio Ristorante in Cranston; Boat House Waterfront Dining in Tiverton; Coast Guard House in Narragansett; Diego’s East Side in Providence; Diego’s Barrio Cantina in Middletown; Diego’s Newport, Duck Press in South Kingstown; Dune Brothers in Providence; Flo’s Clam Shack and Drive-In in Middletown and Portsmouth; George’s of Galilee in Narragansett; Gift Horse in Providence; Giusto in Newport; Gulf Stream Bar & Grille in Portsmouth; Hemenway’s Restaurant in Providence; High Hope Tavern in Westerly; Iggy's Doughboys & Chowder House in Warwick, Ironworks in Warwick; Matunuck Oyster Bar in South Kingstown; Newport Chowder Company in Newport; Nicks on Broadway in Providence; Oberlin in Providence; Pizza Marvin in Providence; Purslane Eatery in Wakefield; The Quencher in Newport; Rudy’s Bar & Grille at Laurel Lane Country Club in West Kingston; Sherri's Come Along Inn in Coventry; Trafford Restaurant in Warren; Wara Wara in Providence; Waterman Grille in Providence; Wharf Fishhouse & Tiki Bar in Newport; Wharf Southern Kitchen & Whiskey Bar in Newport; and White Owl in Providence.

Participating markets include American Mussel Harvesters, Inc. in North Kingstown; Andrade's Catch in Bristol; Blount Clam Shack and Market in Warren; Brightside Seafood Market in Narragansett; Captain's Catch Seafood in Warwick; Dave’s Fresh Marketplace with locations statewide; Digger’s Catch Seafood Market in East Providence; Fearless Fish Market in Providence; Fresh Harvest Kitchen in Westerly; Metro Lobster and Seafood in Warwick; Narragansett Bay Lobsters in Narragansett; Ocean Catch Seafood in Wakefield; Richmond Market in Richmond; Tony’s Seafood in Seekonk; and Twin Shellfish in Warwick.

Participants in Quahog Week – consumers and retailers alike – are encouraged to share their experiences via social media posts: @RISeafoodRocks on Facebook, #QuahogWeek on Twitter, and @RI.Seafood on Instagram. These posts help generate interest and business for the local seafood economy.

Established by the Rhode Island General Assembly in 2011, the RI Seafood Marketing Collaborative is a public-private body that aims to support local fishers and seafood farmers and increase awareness and consumption of locally harvested species by the public. Its membership includes representatives from all key sectors of the commercial fishing, aquaculture, and seafood industries joined by representatives from URI, RI Sea Grant, and state agencies including DEM, which chairs the group, and the RI Commerce, Rhode Island Department of Health, and the RI Coastal Resources Management Council. The trademarked RI Seafood brand logo, which signifies that the products that bear the logo are locally landed or grown, is a core component of the Collaborative’s efforts to support local fishers and small businesses and to increase awareness and consumption by the public of locally fished species. Last year, the RI Seafood brand attended more than 25 events and has engaged close to 90 Rhode Island fishers, aquaculturists, and other seafood venues in its marketing campaign, all of which can be found on the local seafood finder that connects consumers with opportunities to buy fresh local seafood.   

Follow RI Seafood on Facebook or Instagram (@ri.seafood). For more information on DEM programs and initiatives, visit www.dem.ri.gov. Follow DEM on Facebook, Twitter (@RhodeIslandDEM), or Instagram (@rhodeisland.dem) for timely updates.