Ameijoas à bulhão pato c/ pão torrada (Portuguese clams with toasted bread)

A classic shellfish petisco from Lisbon, served with buttered, toasted bread

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Portuguese

Keyword Ameijoas a Bulhao Pato, Clams, Petiscos, Quick, Shellfish

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Servings people

Calories 667kcal

Wash the clams under cold running water, and scrub with a brush if necessary to remove any lingering sand.
Cut the garlic cloves into very thin slices.
Separate the coriander into stems and leaves. Finely mince the stems, then chop the leaves.
Cut the lemon into quarters and dice the chili pepper, if using.

Heat olive oil in a pan wide enough to fit all the clams without stacking too much.
Throw in the thinly sliced garlic and cook on medium-low heat for about 1 minute.
Add the coriander stems, maintain a medium-low heat, and cook for a further 1 minute or until garlic is golden and browning, but not darkening.
Add the clams and wine, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to very low and cover. Don't worry if the wine doesn't cover the clams completely, since we are partly steaming them by covering the pan. Cook slowly for about 4-5 minutes, or until the first clams start to open their shells.
Once the shells start to open, turn off the heat, add the coriander and butter, and stir gently (so as to not detach the clams from their shells) to combine.
Squeeze the juice of one quarter of lemon over the clams, then serve in the pan or a bowl with the rest of the lemon quarters and the toasted bread.

In a bowl, mix together butter, olive oil and oregano together until it reaches a liquid consistency. You might want to apply some heat to do this; if so, use a heatproof bowl over your heat source of choice.
Top the bread with the mixture and place the bread in a baking tray in the oven at around 150C for 10-15 minutes, turning them over halfway through.

Any shells that haven’t opened shouldn’t be eaten. You can take them out at the point of serving, or while eating. Same difference.