Portuguese Pork and Clams or Carne de Porco à Alentejana is a traditional southern dish that comprises of an intriguing but delicious combination of stewed pork and clams. Despite its name, it was created in the Algarve, but it’s not strict to this region, and can be found in restaurants all over Portugal. This unique dish is super simple to recreate at home, you just need the right ingredients and the correct technique.
Jump to RecipeAuthentic Portuguese Pork and Clams
An Authentic Portuguese Pork and Clams recipe starts with a marinade made of white wine, garlic, red pepper paste (massa de pimentão), bay leaves, smoked paprika, salt and black pepper. The pork loin cubes must sit in this mixture for at least two hours, but the longer the better. You then sear the pork cubes, then add in the left-over marinade and a splash of water, which is all the liquid you need to stew your pork. The clams are added in the end to steam for just a couple of minutes.
Another important part of this recipe is the potatoes. I’ve seen plenty of recipes where people stew the potatoes with the pork, and although I’m sure that must be delicious, that is not the traditional way. The potatoes should be fried and served alongside your pork and clams, or like I do, distributed at the bottom of the dish, with the pork and clams served on top.
Carne de Porco à Alentejana Recipe
As I mentioned above, the first step to making this Algarve dish is to make a classic marinade. This white wine marinade is used in several Portuguese dishes, such as the bifanas. Start by placing the pork into a container of which you have the lid, or a Ziploc bag. Add in all the marinade ingredients, mixing well with your hands or a spoon to make sure everything is combined. The pork meat should be covered by the marinade liquid. Let it marinade for at least 2 hours but ideally overnight.
Place a Dutch oven or deep skillet over medium to high heat. Add in the lard and olive oil, sear the pork cubes, without the marinade, on both sides until golden brown. Do it in batches so the pan remains pipping hot. Once you finish, return to the pan all the seared pork, then pour the marinade on top. Use a wooden spoon to gently scrape the burnt bits that are siting at the bottom of the pan. Reduce the heat to medium low, cover with a lid. Let it simmer for about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Place your fresh clams on a large bowl, cover with cold water, then add a sprinkle of salt on top. Let them soak for 1 hour.
In the meantime, peel and dice the potatoes, give them a good rinse, pat them dry with a clean cloth. Shallow fry them in olive oil, you can also deep fry them or use the air fryer if you prefer. Place them on top of absorbent paper. Set aside.
Drain the clams then give them a good rinse and a scrub with a clean food brush. Check the amêijoas one by one to see if there are any broken shells or open clams that do not close when you touch them. This usually indicates they are already dead and therefore not suitable for cooking. Add the clean clams to the pork stew, cover with the lid, add a splash of water if needed, let them simmer for about 5 minutes. Transfer most of the clams from their shells onto the stew but keep some with the shells. Remember to discard any clams that remained shut.
Serve them on top of the fried potatoes, with a sprinkle of chopped fresh cilantro. If you don’t mind doubling on the carbs, you can have it with some bread too.
How to Make Portuguese Pork and Clams
Portuguese Pork and Clams – Carne de Porco à Alentejana
6
servings2
hours1
hour491
kcalPortuguese Pork and Clams or Carne de Porco à Alentejana is a traditional southern dish that comprises an intriguing but delicious combination of stewed pork and clams.
Ingredients
- Marinade Ingredients
1 cup White Wine
5 Garlic Cloves
2 tbsp Pepper Paste
1 tbsp Smoked Paprika
1 tsp Salt
Black Pepper
1 Bay Leaves
- Ingredients
1 kg Boneless Pork Loin, cut into 4cm cubes
500 g Fresh Clams
6 Medium Potatoes
1.5 tbsp Lard
4 tbsp Olive Oil
Fresh Cilantro
Directions
- Start by marinating the meat. Place the pork loin cubes and all the other marinade ingredients in a container or Ziploc bag. Use your hands or a wooden spoon to mix well to combine. The marinade liquid should cover the pork. Pop it in the fridge for at least 2 hours but ideally overnight.
- Place a Dutch oven or a large skillet over medium to high heat, once hot, add the lard, and 15ml of olive oil. Sear the pieces of pork on both sides until golden brown. It’s better to divide it in two to three batches so the pan doesn’t get overcrowded.
- Once you finish, return all the seared meat to the pan, pour in the marinade liquids and a splash of water, use a wooden spoon to help loosen the burnt bits at the bottom. Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium, cover with the lid and let it simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, place your fresh clams on a large bowl, cover with cold water, then add a sprinkle of salt on top. Let them soak for 1 hour.
- Peel and dice the potatoes, give them a good rinse, pat them dry with a clean cloth.
- Add a large frying pan over medium heat, once hot, add the remaining 50ml of olive oil. Shallow fry the diced potatoes until they are softer and lightly golden on the outside. We are not aiming for perfect fries here but for fries that have a light crust. Again, it’s better to do it in batches. Once you are done, place them on top of absorbent paper.
- Drain the clams then give them a good rinse and a scrub with a clean food brush. Check them one by one to see if there are any broken shells or open clams that do not close when you touch them. This usually indicates they are already dead and therefore not suitable for cooking.
- Add the clean clams to the pork stew, cover with the lid, add another splash of water if needed, let them simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove most of the clams from their shells and put them in the stew but keep some in their shells. Remember to discard any clams that remained shut.
- Place your fried potatoes in a serving plate, then layer your pork and clams on top. Top them up with lots of fresh chopped cilantro. Enjoy!!