Cataplana is a very popular dish in Portuguese cuisine. It takes the name of the utensil used for cooking. We can find cataplanas with meat, fish or vegetables. I want to start my collection of Portuguese recipes with the seafood and fish cataplana, which is also the very first I have eaten few years ago with a friend in Madrid. She had a cataplana pot she just bought in Portugal. The cookware itself is originally from the south, the Algarve region, and is relatively new, but it was quickly adopted as one of the iconic dishes in all the country.
How to make seafood and fish cataplana
Cooking with this “device” is very simple, you fill it, you put the lid on it, you heat it and it cooks. No need to stir or anything else. The shape of the cataplana allows to steam while gathering all the juices, so even the mussels get steamed with an extraordinary taste. Last summer, I visited Portugal from north to south and one the souvenirs I bought was, of course, a cataplana. There was nothing better than prepare this wonderful recipe for fish and seafood cataplana to catch up with friends after vacations.
Here is the recipe:
Seafood and Fish Cataplana Recipe (Portuguese Cuisine)
Note: There is a rating embedded within this post, please visit this post to rate it.Ingredientes
- 4 slices of fish (choice of: conger eel, monk-fish, hake …)
- 8 large shrimp
- 12 large mussels
- 250 g of clams
- Fresh parsley
- Fresh cilantro or coriander
- Sweet paprika
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 large onions
- 1 red pepper
- 1 green pepper
- 2 or 3 fresh or canned tomatoes
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 dash of white wine
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Elaboración
- A few hours before starting, dip clams in salted cold water to remove the sand out of them.
- Wash the mussels under cold water, remove the beards and white parts stuck to the shells.
- Peel and wash the onions. Cut them into julienne.
- Wash the peppers and remove the stem. Cut them into julienne.
- Wash the tomatoes and remove the stem. Cut them into pieces.
- Rinse parsley and cilantro. Dry them well and chop the leaves finely.
- Peel the garlic and crush it slightly.
- Put the cataplana on the stove, add 4 to 6 tablespoons of olive oil. With this oil brush the walls.
- Place a layer at the bottom with half of the onions. Season with salt to taste. Add the bay leaves, the crushed garlic and pepper.
- Then distribute the clams and fish slices. Season with salt and paprika to taste and sprinkle with parsley and cilantro.
- Over the fish, distribute the pieces of tomato, pepper and remaining onion. Season with salt to taste.
- Place the mussels and shrimps on top. Season to taste and sprinkle with remaining parsley and cilantro.
- Finally add a dash of white wine.
- Put the lid on the cataplana and put it on medium heat for half an hour, until all the ingredients are released their juices.
- It is done. Serve immediately to prevent the fish to dry. Enjoy!
Sugerencias, trucos y consejos
- You can vary the fish and seafood as you wish. For example add monk fish or salmon or prawns or even crab legs.
- After half an hour, check whether vegetables and fish are cooked. If they are still a little raw, cook a little longer. The vegetables should not be completely cooked.
- If you use a glass of “vinho verde” white wine is much better. The “vinho verde” is a variety of Portuguese wine.
- You can also accompany this seafood cataplana with a glass of the very “vinho verde”.
- You can reuse the broth to cook rice for example, or making seafood soup. Or even Japanese noodles, why not?
- There are many other recipes for cataplana. A very well known is pork with clams. Do not miss the blog updates!
Now you know how to make seafood and fish cataplana
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