A cataplana, a fixture in the Algarve, is kind of a spiritual cousin to the pressure cooker. Shaped like a giant clam, the hinged pan clamps down during cooking, locking in the juices of its contents. When carried to the table and popped open, it fills the room with steam redolent of the sea. If you’re bereft of a cataplana, a Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid works perfectly, if less attractively.

I first had this meaty cataplana 12 years ago in Bridgewater, Connecticut, of all places, at the home of my friends Manny Almeida and Kevin Bagley. Manny, who’s from the same Azorean island as my family, just whipped it up one summer evening. I’ve since had it many times in Portugal, most memorably at an ocean-side joint in the town of Sagres, just east of the vertiginous promontory where Henry the Navigator supposedly built a school and shipyard for his sailors.–David Leite

A cataplana with slices of spicy chouriço sausage and sweet clams in a tomato-onion broth.

Portuguese Clams and Sausage

4.80 / 5 votes
These Portuguese clams and sausage are slowly cooked with chouriço, onions, garlic, tomatoes, and spices in a cataplana, the Portuguese precursor to the wok.
David Leite
CourseMains
CuisinePortuguese
Servings4 servings
Calories397 kcal
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time35 minutes

Equipment

  • Cataplana (optional)

Ingredients 

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 8 ounces chouriço, linguiça, or dry-cured smoked Spanish chorizo, cut into 1/4-inch coins
  • One thick slice presunto, Serrano ham, or prosciutto, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
  • 2 medium yellow onions, cut lengthwise in half and sliced into thin half-moons
  • 1 Turkish bay leaf
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • One (28-oz) can whole peeled tomatoes, preferably San Marzano, drained and chopped
  • 1/4 cup dry white wine
  • 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
  • 4 pounds small clams, such as cockles, manila, butter, or littlenecks, scrubbed and rinsed
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley leaves

Instructions 

  • Heat the oil in a large cataplana or a pot with a tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Dump in the chouriço and presunto and cook, stirring occasionally, until touched with brown, 6 to 8 minutes.
  • Lower the heat to medium, add the onions and bay leaf, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft, 5 to 7 minutes.
  • Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
  • Stir in the tomatoes and any accumulated juice, the wine, and paprika. Discard any clams that feel heavy (which means they're full of sand), have broken shells, or don't close when tapped. Plonk the clams in the pot and turn the heat to high. If using a cataplana, lock it and cook 5 to 10 minutes, shaking occasionally, until the clams open, 5 to 10 minutes. If using a Dutch oven, cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until the clams open, 5 to 10 minutes.
  • Carry the cataplana or Dutch oven triumphantly to the table, making sure everyone's watching, and then release the lid (being careful of any steam). Bask in the applause. Toss out the bay leaf and any clams that refused to open. Season with a few grinds of pepper, shower with parsley, and ladle the stew into wide shallow bowls. Oh, and have a big bowl on hand for the shells.
The New Portuguese Table by

Adapted From

The New Portuguese Table

Buy On Amazon

Nutrition

Serving: 1 portionCalories: 397 kcalCarbohydrates: 17 gProtein: 22 gFat: 26 gSaturated Fat: 7 gMonounsaturated Fat: 8 gTrans Fat: 0.01 gCholesterol: 57 mgSodium: 1019 mgFiber: 3 gSugar: 7 g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Tried this recipe?Mention @leitesculinaria or tag #leitesculinaria!
Recipe © 2009 David Leite. Photo © 2009 Nuno Correia. All rights reserved.

Cook your clams in style

Cobres de Azemeis Cataplana with the top open

This Traditional Copper Cataplana is approximately 9 inches wide and is traditionally used to make Portuguese seafood dishes, popular on the country’s Algarve region. The most famous dish made in a cataplana is amêijoas na cataplana (clams in cataplana). The cataplana is traditionally made of copper and shaped like two clamshells hinged at one end and able to be sealed using a clamp on either side of the assembly. Made in Portugal.

Buy Button.

Traditional Copper Cataplana, $150 on Amazon




About David Leite

I count myself lucky to have received three James Beard Awards for my writing as well as for Leite’s Culinaria. My work has also appeared in The New York Times, Martha Stewart Living, Saveur, Bon Appétit, Gourmet, Food & Wine, Yankee, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, and more.


Hungry For More?

Garlic-Butter Shrimp Pasta

Only 30 minutes and a few simple ingredients stands between you and a warm bowl of pasta and shrimp bathed in lemon garlic butter. What are you waiting for?

30 mins

Sticky Honey Garlic Shrimp

Skip the takeout and whip up this fast and easy honey garlic shrimp. Your tastebuds and your wallet will thank you.

25 mins

Champagne Butter Clams with Sourdough Toast

Our testers are raving about these buttery clams that are gently simmered in sparkling wine and roasted garlic butter. We’re willing to bet you will be, too.

1 hr 10 mins


Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




32 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Hi, David. Just got back from Lisbon last week and was missing the fabulous food, so decided to try this in a pressure cooker. It worked great! I followed all the steps up until locking the cataplana, then sealed the pressure cooker, turned up the heat to bring it to the right pressure, and let it cook for 3 minutes. I also included mussels and shrimp in mine. Thanks for the inspiration, it was delicious!

      1. Sadly, no photos. But when I make this again (and I will), I’ll take a shot to post.

        In the meantime, a request: Do you have a recipe for arroz de mariscos? That was another favorite from the trip that I am already missing.

        1. Tina, I don’t personally, but there are, of course, tons on the Internet. Just make sure what ever you do, you use a very good and strong shrimp/shellfish stock for the rice. It makes all the difference.

  2. My parents just returned from Portugal this week and surprised me with my very own cataplana. (I love saying that word out loud!) I must say I am very excited, curious, and, most of all, intimidated by it! Glad I could come straight here to get some ideas (other than clams Alentejana) and will be looking into getting “The Cataplana Experience.” As always, you come through for me! Thank you for pointing me in the right direction!

    1. Congratulations, Renee. And it does kinda roll of the tongue, doesn’t it: cah-tah-plaaaaaaaah-na. And there’s nothing to be intimidated about. Honest. It’s a wonderful cooking utensil that you’ll get years of pleasure from!

  3. David – sorry for the delay in my reply, but I just wanted to let everyone know that I found the book at both FNAC and WOOK.pt, where I ordered it from as it was in stock, and they shipped to the US with no problem. It has a ton of recipes – can’t wait to try out the lobster ones!