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Cataplana de Marisco
Serves 4 Prep 25 min Cook 30 min Total 55 min Type Meal Origin Portuguese

Cataplana de Marisco

The Algarve's clam-shell stew: prawns, clams, mussels and chouriço cooked in a tomato-and-white-wine base inside a copper pot.

Serves 4 Prep 25 minutes Cook 30 minutes Units Rate

Overview

A cataplana is a hinged copper clamshell pan, and the seafood stew named after it is one of those dishes where the cookware does the work. You build a base of onions, peppers, sliced chouriço, smoked paprika, tomato and white wine in the bottom of the cataplana, then layer clams, mussels, prawns and chunks of firm white fish on top, clamp the lid shut, and steam it all for less than ten minutes. The lid lifts at the table to release a cloud of paprika-and-wine-scented steam, which is the entire point of the dish. If you do not have a cataplana, any wide pan with a tight lid does the same job. Coriander and lemon at the end, crusty bread for the broth, and vinho verde for everything else.

Ingredients

Aromatics

  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 onion (large, sliced)
  • 6 garlic cloves (sliced)
  • 1 red bell pepper (sliced thin)
  • 1 green bell pepper (sliced thin)
  • 150 g chouriço sausage (sliced thin)
  • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 fresh red chilli (sliced, or 1 teaspoon piri-piri sauce)
  • 4 ripe tomatoes (chopped) - OR 1 (400 g) tin chopped tomatoes
  • 250 ml dry white wine
  • 1 teaspoon salt (to taste)
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper

Seafood

  • 500 g clams (live, well-rinsed and purged in salted water 30 min)
  • 500 g mussels (debearded, scrubbed)
  • 400 g large raw prawns (shelled, with tails on)
  • 400 g firm white fish - monkfish, hake (or cod, cut into 4 cm chunks)

To finish

  • 1 large bunch fresh coriander (chopped, about 50 g)
  • 1 large bunch fresh parsley (chopped, about 30 g)
  • 1 lemon (juice)
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • Crusty bread

Method

Stage 1 - Prep the seafood

  1. Place clams in cold salted water 30 minutes to purge sand; rinse. Discard any that don't close when tapped.
  2. Debeard the mussels; discard any that don't close when tapped.
  3. Pat prawns and fish dry.

Stage 2 - Base

  1. Heat olive oil in a cataplana (or a wide heavy lidded pot or Dutch oven) over medium heat.
  2. Add onion, garlic, red and green pepper.
  3. Cook 10 minutes, stirring, until soft and slightly golden at the edges.

Stage 3 - Chouriço

  1. Add sliced chouriço; cook 3 minutes - the red fat releases and stains the oil.

Stage 4 - Spice and tomato

  1. Stir in paprika (both kinds), bay leaves and chilli.
  2. Add chopped tomatoes; cook 5 minutes until they break down.
  3. Pour in the white wine; bring to a simmer.
  4. Cook 5 minutes uncovered to reduce slightly.
  5. Season with salt and pepper.

Stage 5 - Add the shellfish

  1. Tip in the clams and mussels in a single layer.
  2. Cover tightly with the cataplana lid (or pot lid).
  3. Cook 4-5 minutes - the shells should open. Discard any that stay shut.

Stage 6 - Add prawns and fish

  1. Add the prawns and fish chunks on top.
  2. Cover; cook 4-5 minutes until the prawns are pink and the fish is just opaque.

Stage 7 - Finish

  1. Scatter coriander and parsley.
  2. Squeeze lemon over.
  3. Drizzle olive oil.

Stage 8 - Serve

  1. Bring the pot to the table; open the lid in front of your guests for full effect.
  2. Ladle into deep bowls; serve with crusty bread for the broth.

Notes

  • Cataplana is dramatic but optional: A real Algarve cataplana is a copper clam-shell pot, brought to the table sealed and opened at the table. Wonderful theatre. A heavy lidded pot or Dutch oven cooks the same dish identically.
  • Don't overcook the seafood: Prawns and fish go from done to rubbery in 90 seconds. Pull off the heat as soon as the fish is just opaque and the prawns just curled.
  • Discard unopened shells: Clams or mussels that don't open during cooking were dead before they hit the pot - don't eat. Tapping live ones before cooking and watching them close is the safety check.

Storage

  • Best within an hour of cooking. Seafood doesn't keep.
  • Leftovers refrigerate 1 day; eat cold or reheat gently. Don't reheat aggressively.

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