Danny's Cataplana — Cod, Clams and Chorizo
I left my cataplana in France. It went with the house, with the restaurant, with the whole Haute-Vienne chapter — and I have thought about it, on and off, ever since. A cataplana is a hinged copper clam-shaped pan from the Algarve, and if you've never cooked a cataplana recipe you probably don't know what you're missing. I use my tagine instead now, which is not the same thing but is a reasonable substitute, and I mention this only because most people reading this will be in the same position.
Danny has one. Of course he does.
The Cataplana Recipe
A cataplana recipe is as Portuguese as it gets — the pan gave its name to the cooking method and the dish simultaneously. The Algarve version traditionally combines white fish, shellfish, onions and potatoes in a sealed copper vessel, steamed in their own juices with very little interference. What goes in is roughly what comes out, concentrated and fragrant, with a cooking liquor that is worth every last piece of bread you dip into it.
Danny's version adds cooking chorizo — not a classical Portuguese choice, but a good one. The fat and paprika from the chorizo tint the chicken stock to a pale gold, and the rounds of chorizo themselves absorb the clam liquor and give it back differently. It works because Danny understands restraint. There are no tomatoes, no paste, no shortcuts. Just good fish, good shellfish, good stock, and time.
"Place all this in a cataplana and stew away." That is Danny's recipe in its entirety. He's not wrong.
The Pan
Whatever you use, the principle is the same: sealed, moist, gentle heat. Not a braise, not a boil. If you have a cataplana, use it — sealed, medium heat, don't open it until the clams are done. If you don't, a tagine works well: the conical lid traps steam efficiently and the wide base gives the potatoes room. A heavy lidded casserole is a perfectly acceptable third option.
Ingredients
- 1 thick cod fillet, skin on
- 150g small clams, scrubbed
- 6–8 raw prawns, shell on
- 3–4 small waxy potatoes, peeled and halved
- ½ small onion, sliced
- 4–5 rounds of cooking chorizo
- 2 bay leaves
- 150ml chicken stock
- Knob of butter
- Salt and white pepper
- Fresh parsley, roughly chopped, to finish
Method
Prep
Scrub the clams and discard any that don't close when tapped. Peel and halve the potatoes.
Layer
Put the onion slices in the base of the cataplana or tagine. Add the potatoes, then the chorizo rounds and bay leaves. Lay the cod fillet on top, skin side up. Tuck the clams and prawns around it. Add the butter and pour the chicken stock around the sides — not over the fish.
Seal and cook
Close the lid and cook over a medium heat for 20–25 minutes. Don't open it until the time is up. When you do, the clams should all be open — discard any that haven't. The cod should be just cooked through, the potatoes tender, and the stock lightly tinted from the chorizo.
Finish
Season carefully — the clam liquor and chorizo will have already added salt. Scatter with parsley and serve straight from the pan with good bread.
Danny applies the same unfussy approach across everything he brings back from the market. His Cornish hake with potatoes, capers and samphire, his whole turbot with capers and parsley, his grilled John Dory with capers, parsley and garlic, his roasted monkfish with cherry tomatoes and capers, his tandoori halibut with cucumber and herb yoghurt, and his roasted cod with beluga lentils, asparagus and endive all follow the same logic.
For more ways with cod, from baked and pan-fried to confit and fish cakes, see my cod recipes.
If you've enjoyed the recipes, you can buy me a coffee ☕ — it helps keep the site going.
Footnote
This cataplana recipe is part of my Cod Recipes collection and my Inland Fish and Seafood hub, a collection of resourceful ways to prepare the sea's bounty from the heart of rural Spain.
Find more recipes and food adventures here.
Wonky photos, proper food, genuine adventures — The Flexible Chef
