Marinated pork shoulder and clams in a white wine and red pepper sauce are a must-try Portuguese speciality! The two key ingredients that are essential for this dish are, of course, the clams and the pork. The variety of shellfish in Portugal is large but the two commonly used for Carne de Porco à Alentejana are Amêijoa Branca (White Clams) or Berbigão (Cockles).

It turns out that despite its name, this dish did not originate in Alentejo, but in the Algarve. The “Alentejana” refers to high-quality pork from Alentejo, which would have originally been included in the dish. I don’t think it matters as much, and any good quality pork works. The marinade is a typical southern Portuguese marinade of white wine, garlic and paprika

Note: This is not a quick weeknight dinner. It requires several hours of marinating the pork, plus about 30 minutes for bringing the marinated pork up to room temperature. The preparation is not difficult but definitely time-consuming - still worth every minute.

Ingredients for 2 people

600g pork shoulder, cut into chunks

500g clams

10 ml (2 tsp) hot pepper sauce

15 ml (1 tbsp) smoked paprika ( ½ tbsp for the marinade and ½ tbsp for cooking later)

2 bay leaves

400ml dry white wine

2 onions

2 tomatoes

4 garlic cloves

2 large potatoes

Olive oil

Salt

Black pepper

Fresh coriander

Directions

  1. Season the pork with 1 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper, and place in a large zip-top plastic bag. Smash 4 garlic cloves, and add to the bag with 200 ml white wine, bay leaves, and ½ spoon paprika. Seal and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
  2. While the pork marinates, place the clams in a large bowl and cover them with cold salted water for 1-2 hours before you start cooking. The salt in the water will help the clams open. Rinse and drain the clams thoroughly.
  3. Remove the pork from the marinade and make sure to keep the liquid. Sear the pork in a hot pan until browned on all sides, about 7 minutes.
  4. Once all of the pork is seared, pour the marinade on top of the pork. Let it simmer with a lid for about 45 minutes.
  5. Peel and cut the potatoes into small cubes. Toss them with olive oil and salt and spread them on a baking tray. Roast at 200° in the oven for 40 minutes, until they’re golden brown.
  6. In the same pan with the pork, add the onions and sauté until lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chopped tomatoes, garlic, hot pepper sauce and ½ spoon smoked paprika. Cover and simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes. Add the rest of the wine. Simmer for a few minutes.
  7. Nestle the clams between the pork and potatoes and cover tightly. Simmer over medium-low heat until the meat is fork-tender, the potatoes absorb sauce and the clams open. Discard any clams that do not open.
  8. Serve directly from the pan, garnish with finely chopped coriander. Serve with bread and olives.