Cataplana Recipe

See Also: Fish and Seafood · Main Dishes

Cataplana

From Dorothy McNett's Recipe Book at www.dorothymcnett.com. This describes the dish and the pan used to make it. If you don't have a cataplana, use a deep saute pan or wok with a lid.

1/2 cup olive oil
2 onions, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/4 teaspoon dried red hot pepper
freshly ground black peppercorns
1/2 pound linguica or chorizo (Spanish or Portuguese), casings removed
1/4 pound Prosciutto or Serrano ham, coarsely minced
2 tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 small bay leaves
36 small fresh clams, washed and thoroughly scrubbed

In a heavy bottomed 12 inch frypan, heat the oil until a light haze forms. Add the onions and cook and stir for about 5 minutes until they are soft and transparent but not browned. Add paprika, red pepper, black pepper, chorizo which has been broken up into small pieces, diced ham, tomatoes, parsely, wine, garlic and bay leaves. Bring to a boil. Cook, stirring, until most of the liquid in the pan evaporates. Arrange the clams with the hinged side down, cover tightly and cook over medium heat about 10 minutes or until all of the clams open. Discard any that remain closed. Serve in rimmed soup bowls or large plates with good bread and a green salad.

Recipe created 2006-01-24.