9/13/11

I can "Wonderful Portuguese Clams" Bulhao Pato

Dear Readers,
as you well know, I am natural of a Sea Town, thus since tender age I am customised with such things as wonderful colours of the fishing boats, the hassle of the port, the hard work of repairing the fish nets, the guttural and "gergo" of the fisherman but also with the amazing and tasty dishes that they, better than no one else, know how to prepare.
Today’s recipe is one of those, it was recently voted as one of the wonders of Portuguese cuisine. It is a Open Clams dish, in Portugal we call it “Ameijoas (Clams) à Bulhao Pato.
No one knows the origine of the name, my guess is that a person or a place named as "Bulhao Pato" used to prepare such dish.
Do not forget to open a chill bottle of dry white wine (Portuguese from Alentejo or a Muller Thurgau) you can also drink the most sold wine in the world “Mateus Rose” from Portugal. Why Not?
Hope you enjoy this wonderful recipe that so many times have been served in my table to friends and family.

Here’s the shopping list:

2kg of large Black Clams
2dl of Olive Oil
4 Garlic Cloves
q.b. Fresh Coriander
1 large Lemon
q.b. Salt, Pepper and/or Piri-Piri (Chilly Pepper)

Step 1) Put the Clams inside salted water for 2/3 hours;
Step 2) Wash several times the Clams prior to the cooking process;
Step 3) Chop both the garlic and the coriander;
Step 4) Inside a pan add the garlic, coriander and the olive oil;
Step 5) When you hear the sizzle add the Clams and cover;
Step 6) From time to time, move the clams around, be sure that all clams have been in the bottom;
Step 7) When all clams are open add salt, pepper and/or chilly to your taste;
Step 8) Serve them in a open tray and add the fresh lemon juice on top;

Bon Apetit,
Chef Gourmet Du Art




1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Bulhão Pato was a XIX century portuguese writer and journalist, and also a gourmet. This delicious clam dish was created by someone else and dedicated to him ( a very usual practice, "peach Melba" is a similar case that comes to mind). However, some portuguese food historians think that Bulhão Pato himself was the creator of the famous dish.