Conquilhas!

Posted on July 3, 2008 
Filed Under Food

There is something about these little wedge shell clams that makes them addictive, kind of like the peanut of the nut family. Eat one and suddenly you want the entire pot to yourself, but there’s something wonderfully sinister about sharing them, and feeling like your getting the lions share. If you’re a conquilha fan, you’ll know what I mean. If you’ve never had them, than you definitely need to try.

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Simply cooked with good olive oil, garlic and cilantro, conquilhas are an Algarve summer favourite. I remember craving them when I lived abroad, and know folks that have conquilhas listed as a top priority when they visit. They’re extremely easy to make, the trick is to find very fresh ones that don’t have a lot of sand. The best tip I can suggest, when you see conquilhas at a fishmongers, tap the shell of an open one, if it closes than their good…if it doesn’t it’s dead, and you don’t want them.

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Conquilhas (Wedge shell clams)

1k conquilhas
4Tbsp. Olive Oil
4-6 Garlic cloves
Bunch of Cilantro
Lemon Wedges

  1. Good fishmongers will send you home with your conquilhas in sea water. When you get home check the bottom of the bag, if there is a lot of sand you need to leave them in their water for a while longer* (see below for instructions how to de-sand shellfish)
  2. Add oil to a pan when warm, add crushed garlic. Let garlic brown but not burn at medium heat, once garlic is golden, remove conquilhas from their water and add to pan. Tear a nice size chunk of cilantro and add to conquilhas.
  3. Place lid on pan and let the conquilhas steam open, for 1kg may take approximately 20min. Occasionally check on conquilhas and give them a good mix making sure the bottom ones come to the top and the top go to the bottom so they all get the garlic and olive oil flavour. They will be done cooking when all the shells are open. A few stubborn ones may not open but don’t worry about those, and rule of thumb is never to force a closed one open as it may not be as fresh as the others.

This is a fast and fun summer dish that’s great for sharing. So have a chilled bottle of Vinho Verde ready to go, and serve conquilhas piping hot from the stove with a good squeeze of lemon just before digging in. And don’t forget lots of crusty bread for dipping!

Instructions for de-sanding shellfish

  1. Using a large sieve separate conquilhas from their water, and reserve.
  2. Then place reserved water in a large enough bowl, that sieve can fit inside and keep conquilhas submerged.
  3. Keeping conquilhas in a sieve, place them back in their sea water to let sand drain. Place both in moderate part of the fridge for a few hours.
  4. The goal here is to separate the conquilhas from the water slightly so the sand can drain from them and not end up on your plate. Since shellfish comes from salt water, they won’t survive in tap water very long, so do keep their sea water for de-sanding.

Comments

One Response to “Conquilhas!”

  1. Nicole Carina on July 28th, 2008 1:48 am

    Hello! Just found your blog searching for Portuguese recipes, and this one is great. I remember my grandmother making this a few times when I was a kid. She was from Madeira but we live in eastern NC so she got the little clams from the beach, took them home and made this dish.

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