Portuguese seafood rice and garlic clams
- Prepare
- less than 30 mins
- Cook
- 30 mins to 1 hour
- Serve
- Serves 6
This classic Portuguese dish combines rich seafood rice with tender prawns, mussels and clams, finished with fresh coriander and lemon. Serve alongside garlicky clams for a feast that celebrates the flavours of the Atlantic coast.
Ingredients
For the shellfish
For the seafood rice
- 2 litres/3½ pints shellfish stock or bisque
- 400g/14oz risotto rice
- 100g/3½oz shallots, finely chopped
- 20g/¾oz garlic, finely chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 100ml/3½fl oz olive oil
- 80g/2¾oz red pepper, finely chopped
- 1 bunch fresh coriander, stalks and leaves separated, all finely chopped
- 50g/1¾oz tomato purée
- 60ml/4 tbsp white wine
- 20g/¾oz tomato concassé (peeled, deseeded and finely chopped tomato)
- 20ml/4 tsp lemon juice
Method
Place the clams in a bowl and cover with the sparkling water. Leave in the fridge overnight.
To prepare the shellfish, heat half the olive oil in a pan over a low heat and add half the garlic. When fragrant, add the prawns and fry for 2–3 minutes, until just cooked through. Set aside.
Add the remaining oil and garlic to the pan and warm through. Add the mussels and drained clams with the wine, cover and cook for about 1 minute, or until the shells have opened.
Remove the the shells from the pan and pick out all the mussel and clam meat.
To make the seafood rice, add the shells, prawn heads and peelings, and any cooking juices to the shellfish stock or bisque in a pan. Bring to the boil, letting the seafood flavours infuse.
In a new pan, gently fry the shallots, garlic, bay leaves and coriander stalks in the olive oil. Stir in the red pepper. Add the rice and cook for 30 seconds, then stir in the tomato purée.
Deglaze with the wine, pour in the shellfish stock and simmer for 12–13 minutes. The rice should be al dente, with a brothy consistency. Two minutes before the rice is ready, stir in the prawns.
Remove from the heat and stir through the mussels, clams, tomato concassé and lemon juice. Garnish with the coriander leaves and serve immediately.
