SpiceLines

The restaurant’s recipe for the clams, sent by our friend Luis, is simplicity itself, but of course, like all simple recipes, the quality of the ingredients is paramount.

In this case it’s the clams that count.

“Clams are the great codependent ingredient of Portuguese cuisine,” writes David Leite. Sometimes they are the star of the show, but they may also make an appearance with other seafood. One night, at the Marques de Palma, a Lisbon seafood restaurant, three of us supped on arroz de mariscos: Here the clams had a supporting role, adding a fillip to the hefty heads-on shrimp and chunks of lobster in the shell that swam in a big pot of soupy rice cooked al dente, flavored, of course, with cilantro. And then there’s the classic pork with clams—a savory dish supposedly devised to mask the fishy taste of pigs that fed on the remains of sea creatures.

In Lisbon the clams we ate were small but plump, sweet and altogether succulent. According to Leite, the most widely eaten varieties are “in the family that includes the Carpet Shell and the Venus varieties….[which] have a unique characteristic: they have two necks!”

The best I could do here at home were one-necks, a.k.a. littlenecks—not quite as voluptuous as those in Portugal, but alive and if not kicking, then certainly breathing. To remove some of the sand they had ingested, I soaked them in lightly salted cold water for a few hours, then cooked them quickly in olive oil and garlic, just until the shells popped opened. Basically the bivalves stew in their own juices, and when they open, their essence pools in the bottom of the pan, mingling with the olive oil, garlic and the lemon juice with which they are doused at the last moment.

Bring the clams to the table without delay. They are meant to be eaten at once, with hunks of crusty bread or thick toasted croutons to sop up all that deliciousness in the bottom of the pot.

Note: There are many recipes for Clams Bulhao Pato on the web. Some call for white wine—you could certainly add ¼ to ½ cup after the clams have cooked for a few minutes, but personally I prefer the briny taste of the bivalves with just a little lemon juice. Many recipes also add salt to the clams when they are done—but as American clams, at least the littlenecks I've been using, are naturally quite salty, be sure to taste before seasoning.

Doca Peixe’s Traditional Clams Bulhao Pato
(adapted from Doca Peixe)

To serve 4 as an appetizer, or 2 as a main course

Ingredients:

2 pounds live clams in the shell (I used littlenecks)
1 teaspoon sea salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, sliced thin
Juice of ½ lemon
1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
Freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon, quartered
1 crusty baguette, torn into hunks,
or 1 baguette, cut into thick rounds, brushed with olive oil and toasted in the oven

Method:

1. Scrub the clams under cold running water to remove sand or grit clinging to the shells. Discard any that are open and will not close when tapped.
2. Place the clams in a large bowl and cover with cold tap water mixed with 1 teaspoon sea salt. Soak for 3 hours so that they will expel sand that has been ingested.
3. When you are ready to cook, lift the clams out of the water, leaving any sand in the bottom of the bowl. Discard the contents of the bowl. Rinse the clams again and dry them with a dish towel.
4. Heat a large saucepan over a high flame. When the pan is hot, reduce the heat to medium and add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds. Do not let it burn.
5. Add the clams to the pan and cover. Cook for 4 to 7 minutes, occasionally shaking the pan or stirring them with a spoon. The exact time will depend on the size of the pan, the volume of heat and the number of clams. You’ll hear the clams rattle and gently pop when the shells open. Do not overcook, or the clams will shrink and turn rubbery.
6. As soon as most of the clams are open, pour the lemon juice over them and stir so that it mixes with the juices in the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle the cilantro and black pepper, if desired, over the clams and stir again.
7. Immediately pour the clams into a serving bowl. (If there are any that have not opened, return them to the pot. Turn the heat to the lowest setting and cover—they may open in a few more minutes. If they don’t, throw them away. )
8. Serve with lemon quarters and hunks of crusty bread, or thick baguette slices, rubbed with olive oil and toasted in the oven until brown.