Chef Paulo Soares shows how a Cataplana is used.
This creates a wealth of Portuguese seafood dishes.
Traditionally it is made of copper, shaped like two clamshells.
Hinges on either side allow it to be sealed using clamps.
One would treat this as a pressure-cooker.
Cataplana from Paulo Soares on Vimeo.
I love little neck clams that this traditional Portuguese dish has, however, the blue mussels was something new for me. Generally people use black mussels, and I think it smells & tastes like the sea-sewer, however, the sweetness of the New Zealand mussels are amazing. This dish with the blue mussels, in combination with the little necks and the cherry stone calms, plus that traditional red Portuguese broth, made me a fan of the blue mussels!