It’s fair to say that few people know Rhode Island clams—specifically quahogs (also called littlenecks or hard-shelled clams)—better than Jody King. At 64, the affable and energetic King has spent over 40 years raking a living from the waters of Narragansett Bay, and he does it year-round, in every kind of weather. Small wonder he possesses Popeye-like forearms.
King is also a natural teacher, frequently conducting instructional classes on shellfishing for the state’s Department of Environmental Management. These well-attended classes are free and open to the public. As a bonus, King ends the session by demonstrating how to care for and cook your catch.
Explore New England caught up with King at Rocky Point State Park for a segment that appeared in our Warwick episode. Off the bat, we knew he was going to be the perfect interview—not at all camera-shy and full of golden sound bites!
King cut his clamming teeth at Rocky Point, where his parents would send him and his brothers off with five-gallon buckets and instructions not to return until they can raked enough quahogs for dinner. Jody never imagined that those skills would form the foundation of his entire career.
King walked us through the process of raking quahogs, which are found throughout Narragansett Bay, in every type of bottom substrate. The rock-strewn bottom off Rocky Point made for some hard work, but we found plenty of legal-sized clams. King pointed out that all clammers, whether commercial or recreational, must check the state’s shellfishing website to see which beds are open and which are closed due to contaminants. The site features an interactive map that’s updated daily.
While we raked clams on foot, King works mostly on his boat, harvesting clams with a long-handled “bull rake” in up to 20 feet of water. The boat has a spacious aft deck for working and storing the catch, and a small cabin where King (and his dog) can grab some relief from the elements.
After we had raked a nice batch of clams, King showed us how to cook them using a recipe handed down from his father, who served as head chef at a well-known Providence restaurant. The simple technique involves steaming the clams in a shallow broth containing garlic, herbs, and red pepper flakes. He explained that the key was not to add too much water, as the clams contain plenty inside their shells, and make what he called “their own liquor.” We downed a bunch with some crusty, local-made Italian bread—a delicious way to end our fun and informative clamming session!
