Chef-tested recipe
Carne de porco à Alentejana with wine-marinated pork, briny clams, crisp potatoes, pickles, and coriander
Carne de porco à Alentejana is one of Portugal’s great combinations of land and sea: pork marinated in white wine, garlic, bay, and massa de pimentão, browned in lard, then finished with clams just until they open. Despite the name, its precise origin is debated, but the pairing is firmly established in Portuguese cooking. Fried potato cubes, chopped pickles, coriander, and lemon provide the expected contrast. This version keeps both proteins abundant and cooks them in separate stages so the pork becomes golden without toughening the clams. The clam liquor seasons the sauce naturally, so final salting must wait until every shell has opened.
Recipe at a glance
- Servings
- 6 servings
- Prep Time
- 35 mins
- Cook Time
- 50 mins
- Resting Time
- 2 hours
- Marinating Time
- 4 hours
- Total Time
- 5 hours 25 mins
- Cuisine
- Portuguese
- Course
- Main dishes
- Cooking Method
- Wine marination, batch frying, clam steaming, and potato frying
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Best Served With
- Best served with fried potato cubes, Portuguese mixed pickles, abundant coriander, lemon wedges, crusty bread, and a dry Alentejo white wine.
Before you begin
Ingredients & equipment
Gather what you need first, then cook through the method with confidence.
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Equipment
- Wide heavy casserolepaid link
- Deep fryerpaid link
- Large non-reactive bowlpaid link
- Fine mesh sievepaid link
- Slotted spoonpaid link
- Tongspaid link
- Chef’s knifepaid link
- Cutting boardpaid link
- Digital kitchen scalepaid link
- Instant-read thermometerpaid link
Ingredients
For the pork marinade
- Boneless pork shoulder, cut into 4 cm cubes: 1500 g
- Dry white wine: 350 ml
- Massa de pimentão: 90 g
- Garlic, crushed: 40 g
- Bay leaves: 3 whole
- Sweet Portuguese paprika: 6 g
- Freshly ground black pepper: 5 g
- Fine sea saltpaid link: 6 g
For the clams and pork
- Live small clams, scrubbed: 1800 g
- Cold water for purging: 3000 ml
- Coarse sea salt for purgingpaid link: 90 g
- Pork lard: 60 g
- Extra-virgin olive oilpaid link: 30 ml
For the potatoes and finish
- Floury potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 cm cubespaid link: 1200 g
- Neutral frying oilpaid link: 1200 ml
- Portuguese mixed pickles, chopped: 150 g
- Fresh coriander, roughly chopped: 45 g
- Lemon wedges: 240 g
Preparation Overview
Marinate the pork for four hours in wine, massa de pimentão, garlic, bay, paprika, pepper, and a restrained amount of salt. During the final two hours, purge the scrubbed clams in properly salted cold water. Cut and rinse the potatoes, then dry them thoroughly. Drain the pork through a sieve and reserve its marinade.
Method
Marinate the pork. Mix the pork with wine, massa de pimentão, garlic, bay, paprika, pepper, and fine salt, cover, and refrigerate for 4 hours.
Purge the clams. Dissolve the coarse salt in cold water, soak the live clams for 2 hours in a cool place, then lift them out, rinse, and discard cracked or unresponsive shells.
Prepare the potatoes. Rinse the potato cubes until the water runs clearer, dry very thoroughly, and heat the frying oil to 170°C.
Fry until crisp. Cook the potatoes in batches for 7 to 9 minutes until golden and tender, drain well, and keep warm without covering.
Drain and brown the pork. Reserve the marinade. Heat the lard and olive oil in a wide casserole and brown the pork in three batches over high heat.
Reduce the marinade. Return all pork to the pan, add the reserved marinade, and boil for 3 minutes before simmering for 12 to 15 minutes until the pork reaches at least 63°C and is tender.
Open the clams. Add the rinsed clams, cover tightly, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, shaking the pan once, until the shells open.
Finish immediately. Discard any clams that remain closed, remove the bay leaves, and fold in the fried potatoes, pickles, and most of the coriander.
Serve. Transfer to a broad platter, scatter with remaining coriander, and serve with lemon wedges while the clams are juicy and potatoes still crisp.
Beginner Technique Notes
Buy clams alive from a reliable supplier and keep them cold in a breathable container, never submerged in fresh water.
Lift purged clams from the water instead of pouring everything through a colander, which can return settled grit to the shells.
Dry potatoes completely before frying to reduce dangerous splattering.
Brown pork in batches; crowding traps steam and prevents the characteristic fried appearance.
Clams become rubbery quickly. Stop cooking once they open and discard any that stay shut.
Tips and Variations
Pork tenderloin is used in faster versions, but shoulder remains juicier and benefits from the short simmer.
Use a genuine Portuguese massa de pimentão, noting that its salt level varies by brand.
Some regional recipes include tomato or onion; add either only as a documented household variation.
Roasted potato cubes can replace fried potatoes for convenience, but the classic crisp fried texture will differ.
Do not substitute mussels and still call the dish carne de porco à Alentejana; clams are central to its identity.
Serving Ideas
- Use a broad warm platter so the clams remain visible among the pork and potatoes. Spoon the wine-and-clam juices over the centre, then add pickles and coriander at the last moment for colour and acidity.
Storage
This dish is best served immediately. Remove clam meat from leftover shells and refrigerate it with the pork and sauce for no more than 1 day. Reheat gently to 74°C. Store potatoes separately; freezing is not recommended.
Nutritional Value
Allergen Notes
Contains molluscs and sulphites from wine, pickles, and possibly massa de pimentão. Clams can trigger severe shellfish allergy. Never serve shells that remain closed after cooking, and verify local shellfish safety guidance.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is massa de pimentão?
It is a Portuguese fermented or preserved red-pepper paste used to season meats with colour, salt, and sweet pepper depth.
Why pair pork with clams?
The rich browned pork and salty-sweet clam liquor create the land-and-sea contrast for which the dish is known.
How do I know whether a clam is alive?
A gaping raw clam should close when tapped. Discard cracked shells or any that do not respond.
Can I marinate overnight?
Yes, but reduce added salt if the pepper paste is strongly salted and keep the pork continuously refrigerated.
Should I pour in the clam-purging water?
No. It contains expelled sand and must be discarded.
