Have you ever heard before of this porco a alentejana? This is a popular dish in Portugal and traditionally contains chunks of stir fried pork, cilantro and fresh clams!
Dishes with both meat and fish or seafood in them are quite popular in Portuguese cuisine.
You might have heard of this type of cuisine before though.
Mar e Montanha
Are you familiar with surf and turf?
Meat and seafood, and usually it is steak and lobster. In Portugal this way of cooking has another name: mar e montanha in Portuguese, and mar i muntanya in Catalan or mar y montaña in Spanish.
It literally means sea and mountain, and refers to the combo of fish or seafood and meat.
Best Porco a Alentejana (Portuguese Pork & Clams)
I was in Portugal some time ago.
And of all the delicious food I tasted there this one really stood out because it is so delicious. It is a kind of Portuguese surf and turf dish: pork and clams. You can find this mixture of meat and fish or seafood quite often in Portuguese cuisine.
So indeed, I was finally able to make porco a Alentejana!
What took me so long?
Finding fresh and affordable clams!
Fresh Clams
Sure I can find clams here and there.
But truth be told they are so expensive. And I refuse to buy frozen clams. No, I was to make this delicious Portuguese dish with the freshest ingredients.
And here I found them one day, fresh and for a good price. I didn’t have to think twice about what recipe to use them in really.
Excellent!
Portuguese Cuisine
Do you love Portuguese cuisine?
Or Portuguese food in general?
Then you should also check out another Portuguese classic that I love to bits: this bacalhau a bras or stir fried salt cod chunks with potatoes and scrambled eggs!
An absolute delight and a family favorite here!
Enjoy!
Best Portuguese Porco a Alentejana Recipe
Porco a Alentejana, a popular Portuguese dish with pork and clams! Mixing meat and fish or seafood is quite popular in Portuguese cuisine.
- 10,5 oz pork tenderloin (300 g), diced
- 1 lb fresh clams with shells (450 g)
- a handful black olives
- ½ cup dry white wine (120 ml)
- 2 medium garlic cloves peeled
- 1 fresh lemon
- 1 tsp paprika powder
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- a handful fresh cilantro chopped
- a handful fresh parsley chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- pepper
- salt
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Add the peeled garlic together with the bay leaves, half of the fresh cilantro and parsley, a tablespoon of lemon juice, the paprika and a pinch of salt to a blender.
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Pulse until you get a fine paste. Add this paste and the diced pork to a mixing bowl. Also sprinkle with a tablespoon of olive oil.
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Knead and rub the meat and marinade for a minute. Make sure the pork is covered on all sides. Place the bowl in the fridge to rest for an hour. Then let the pork rest at room temperature for another 30 minutes. In the meantime rinse and clean the fresh clams.
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Add the unsalted butter and olive oil to a large non-stick pan or wok and place it over medium-high heat until the butter has melted. Then add the pork and what’s left of the garlic marinade.
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Quickly stir fry the pork for a couple of minutes until it is nicely golden brown on all sides. Then add the black olives.
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Stir and add the fresh clams and white wine. Season with a pinch of pepper.
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Cover the pan and let the pork and clams cook for another 5 to 6 minutes. Shake the pan often. The clams should all be open in the end. Take the pan off the heat and check the seasoning. Add extra pepper or salt to taste. Sprinkle with the remaining chopped cilantro and parsley.
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Serve hot.
