Cataplana: The Algarve's Signature Dish

Cataplana is the Algarve’s signature dish, named after the clam-shaped copper pan it’s cooked in. Seafood, or pork and clams, steams in a fragrant broth of tomato, onion, peppers, garlic and wine, and the pan is opened at the table in a puff of steam. Here’s what to know.

Quick answer: order a cataplana de marisco (seafood) or cataplana de peixe (fish) in a coastal restaurant, usually for two people. It takes 30 to 45 minutes to cook, so order early. Mop up the broth with bread. Copper cataplanas make a great souvenir.

The pan

A cataplana is two hinged copper domes that clamp shut, a bit like a clam shell. It works like a pressure cooker, sealing in the steam and flavour. Its origins are often traced to the Moorish period in the Algarve.

Types of cataplana

• Seafood (marisco): clams, prawns, mussels and sometimes lobster.
• Fish (peixe): monkfish and other firm white fish.
• Pork and clams: a surf-and-turf version.
• Mixed: fish and shellfish together.

Tips

• For two: most restaurants only serve it for two or more people, and it’s priced per person or per pan.
• Time: it’s cooked to order, so expect a wait.
• Sides: bread or rice to soak up the sauce.
• Wine: a crisp white or vinho verde. See the vinho verde guide.
• Souvenir: copper cataplanas are sold in Algarve markets. See Portugal souvenirs.

More: the Portuguese seafood guide, the best Algarve beach restaurants and piri-piri chicken.

Prices and details change, so please double-check before you travel. Spotted something out of date? Tell us in the groups.