Lisbon-style clams opened in olive oil, garlic, coriander, dry white wine, and fresh lemon
Amêijoas à Bulhão Pato is a Lisbon classic that draws remarkable depth from a short list of ingredients. Garlic perfumes olive oil, live clams release their own briny liquor, and coriander and lemon brighten the pan at the end. Starting with commercially purged live clams keeps the recipe safe and genuinely quick without using a prepared sauce.
- Prep
- 15 mins
- Cook
- 10 mins
- Total
- 25 mins
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Cuisine
- Portuguese
The recipe
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Before you start
Keep the live clams refrigerated and uncovered by water until needed. Rinse and scrub them under cold running water. Discard any cracked clam and any open clam that does not close when tapped. Slice the garlic and separate the coriander stems from the leaves.
Ingredients
For the clams
For finishing
Quantities change with servings; cooking times stay the same.
Equipment
- Wide sauté pan with lid paid link
- Colander paid link
- Shellfish brush paid link
- Slotted spoon paid link
- Warm serving bowl paid link
- Digital kitchen scale paid link
Method
Heat 80 ml olive oil in a wide lidded sauté pan over medium-low heat.
Add the garlic and coriander stems. Cook for 60–90 seconds until fragrant without allowing the garlic to brown.
Increase to high heat. Add the clams and black pepper, then toss to coat them in the aromatic oil.
Pour in the wine and immediately cover the pan.
Steam for 4–6 minutes, shaking the covered pan twice, until the clams open.
Remove the lid and transfer opened clams to a warm serving bowl as they are ready. Discard any clam that remains firmly closed after cooking.
Boil the pan liquid for 30–60 seconds if it needs slight concentration.
Remove from the heat. Stir in the coriander leaves, lemon juice, and 15 ml olive oil.
Pour the hot liquor over the clams and serve immediately with lemon wedges.
Chef’s notes
Never cook cracked, damaged, or unresponsive open clams.
Commercially purged clams are important for this short recipe. If your supplier says they require purging, allow the separate food-safe purging time before beginning.
Keep garlic pale; browned garlic makes the delicate clam liquor bitter.
Remove clams as they open so smaller ones do not become tough while larger ones finish.
Tips and variations
Use a crisp dry Portuguese white wine such as Vinho Verde and serve the same wine at the table.
Do not add unnecessary salt until tasting the finished liquor; clams naturally season it.
Coriander stems flavor the cooking oil, while leaves stay fresh when added at the end.
A broad pan opens clams more evenly than a deep crowded pot.
Serve with
Bring the clams to the table in a warm shallow bowl with plenty of their liquor. Provide a separate bowl for shells and serve immediately.
Storage
Shellfish is best eaten when freshly cooked. Refrigerate cooled leftovers in their liquor within 1 hour and consume within 1 day. Reheat gently only until steaming. Do not freeze cooked clams in their shells.
Nutrition per serving (estimated)
- 310 kcal
- Calories
- 25 g
- Protein
- 10 g
- Carbohydrates
- 19 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
- Sugar
- 760 mg
- Sodium
Allergens
Contains mollusks and sulfites from wine. Serve bread separately for diners avoiding wheat or gluten. Alcohol is reduced during cooking but not guaranteed to disappear completely.
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Questions
How can I tell whether a clam is alive?
A live open clam should close when tapped. Discard cracked clams and those that remain open.
Must the clams be purged?
Follow the supplier’s guidance. This 25-minute version requires live clams sold already purged.
Why should unopened cooked clams be discarded?
A clam that remains firmly closed cannot be assessed safely and should not be forced open.
Can parsley replace coriander?
Coriander is characteristic of Bulhão Pato style. Parsley changes the identity of the dish.
