This is the first recipe in our little food writing experiment: clams cooked in olive oil, garlic and coriander (cilantro)! And why not a simple recipe such as this one to begin with? After all, most Portuguese recipes are based on just the right combination of a few simple ingredients interacting in an alchemy of sorts. Place the ingredients in the pot and let the fire do the work for you. In less than five minutes you will have delicious clams in their own sauce (you don’t even need to add salt!), perfect with a chunk of crusty bread and a cold lager!
This recipe takes its name from the Portuguese poet Raimundo António de Bulhão Pato , and is the favored way of preparing clams throughout the country. The juice from the clams combines with the olive oil and herbs to make a typically rich and fragrant sauce. We’ve specified little neck clams, but you can use almost any small hard-shell or carpet-shell clam (max 2 inches across). The amount of olive oil can be varied from as little as 2 tablespoons to as much as 1/2 cup
Ingredients:
1.5 to 2 pound live little neck clams
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
2 clove garlic, minced
1 lemon
Preparation:
1. Scrub the clams in cold water. If you prefer, you can soak them in cold, salted water for about an hour to dislodge any sand inside. Discard any clams that are open and will not close when tapped.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pan or pot. When the oil begins to ripple, add the remaining ingredients minus the lemon. Cover the pan and cook over medium-high heat, shaking occasionally until all the clams open. They will likely all open at the around the same time and the whole process should not take more than 3 to 5 minutes or the clams will be over cooked. Discard any unopened clams.
3. Add the juice from half the lemon to the clams and serve garnished with the other half cut into wedges and a crusty country bread for dipping.
