Cataplana de Marisco

The story

In the Algarve, the word cataplana means three things at once: a cooking vessel, the way of cooking in it and the dish that comes out of it. The vessel looks like two clamshells joined by a hinge, with clamps on each side that seal it shut so the food steams in its own juices, which is why it is often called a forerunner of the pressure cooker. It is traditionally made of copper; Portugal Resident, an Algarve newspaper, notes that early ones were zinc, and today aluminum and stainless steel versions are sold too. The Algarve paper Postal describes the pan as Arab in origin, which ties it to the long Arab presence in the south. Shrimp, clams and pork are the most popular fillings, but cooks also use fish, octopus or cod, usually over a base of onion, peppers, tomato, olive oil, garlic and white wine. Postal counts the dish among the most representative of Algarve cooking, with clams, monkfish, cured ham, garlic and onions among its original ingredients, and in 2015 the Pousadas de Portugal ran a summer program around it at their inns in Estoi, Tavira and Sagres. A two-person pan makes it a natural dinner for two; serve it with bread and a chilled vinho verde.