Dish guides
What is cataplana?
Cataplana is both a pan and a dish from the Algarve in southern Portugal. The pan is a hinged copper "clamshell" that closes tight, and the stew cooked in it, usually clams, prawns and fish, sometimes with pork and chouriço, steams in white wine, tomato, onion and peppers. It's brought to the table closed and opened in front of you, usually as a dish for two.
- At a glance
- Cataplana
- Seafood, fish or pork stew steamed in a closed, hinged copper pan from the Algarve.
- Pronunciation
- Say it like kuh-tuh-PLAH-nuh · IPA /kɐtɐˈplɐnɐ/
- Also written as
- cataplana de marisco, cataplana de peixe, cataplana mista, amêijoas na cataplana, cataplana de porco com amêijoas, cataplana de tamboril
What’s in it
Core ingredients
- seafood and/or fish (clams, prawns, monkfish and others)
- onion
- tomato
- red and green peppers
- garlic
- olive oil
- white wine
- coriander or parsley
Often added
- pork cubes
- chouriço or presunto (cured ham)
- mussels
- potatoes
- piri-piri chilli
- bay leaf
- bread for the sauce
- rice on the side
Allergens
| Allergen | How likely |
|---|---|
| Shellfish | Typically contains |
| Molluscs | Typically contains |
| Fish | Often contains |
| Sulphites | Often contains |
| Gluten | Sometimes contains |
| Celery | Rarely contains |
| Dairy | Rarely contains |
| Eggs | Rarely contains |
| Peanuts | Rarely contains |
| Tree nuts | Rarely contains |
| Soy | Rarely contains |
| Sesame | Rarely contains |
| Diet | Suitable? |
|---|---|
| Vegetarian | No |
| Vegan | No |
| Pescatarian | Depends — Seafood cataplanas often still include chouriço or cured ham for flavour; ask for it without meat or choose a fish-only version. |
| Halal | Depends — Many versions add pork or chouriço, and the stew is cooked in white wine; a fish-only, wine-free cataplana would be a special request. |
| Kosher | No |
| Gluten-free | Usually — The stew itself is usually gluten-free; the bread served with it isn't. |
Allergen and calorie details are AI estimates based on the menu and typical recipes. They can be incomplete — if you have a serious allergy, always check with the staff.
The pan and the dish
A cataplana is two shallow, rounded halves of copper (today often copper-coated aluminium) hinged together and clamped shut. Once closed, it traps the steam, so the ingredients cook quickly in their own juices, a bit like a gentle pressure cooker. The same word names the pan, the cooking method and the stew.
The base is almost always onion, garlic, tomato and peppers softened in olive oil, with white wine and herbs. What goes on top varies: cataplana de marisco (mixed shellfish), cataplana de peixe or de tamboril (fish, often monkfish), and amêijoas na cataplana, the best-known version, clams often cooked with cured ham, chouriço or pork.
How to order it
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Uma cataplana de marisco para dois, por favor. | A seafood cataplana for two, please. |
| Que mariscos leva? | Which shellfish are in it? |
| Leva chouriço ou presunto? | Does it contain chouriço or cured ham? |
Not to be confused with
- Carne de porco à alentejana — Pork and clams fried in a pan and topped with fried potatoes; no closed pan, peppers or tomato.
- Caldeirada — Portuguese fish stew layered with potatoes in a pot; often more fish than shellfish.
- Arroz de marisco — Soupy seafood rice cooked with prawns, clams and crab; rice is part of the dish.
Frequently asked questions
What is in a cataplana?
Usually clams, prawns and other seafood or fish, steamed with onion, tomato, peppers, garlic, olive oil, white wine and herbs. Many versions also add pork, chouriço or cured ham, which is traditional rather than a mistake. The contents vary by restaurant, so ask "Que leva?" (What's in it?) if the menu doesn't list them.
Is cataplana for one or two people?
Usually two. Most restaurants price cataplana per pan for two people, and some won't make a smaller one. A few offer an individual size. If you're eating alone, ask "Faz para uma pessoa?" (Do you make it for one person?) before ordering, and expect to wait while it's cooked to order.
Can I eat cataplana with a shellfish allergy?
Usually not. Most cataplanas combine crustaceans like prawns and molluscs like clams, and even a fish or pork version may be cooked in the same pans and broth. A cataplana de peixe made only with fish is sometimes possible, but tell the staff about your allergy and ask how it's prepared.
How do you pronounce cataplana?
Say kuh-tuh-PLAH-nuh, with the stress on PLAH: in IPA, [kɐtɐˈplɐnɐ]. In European Portuguese the unstressed a sounds are short and reduced, like the a in "about", so only the stressed syllable sounds like a full "ah". Waiters in the Algarve are used to visitors saying it the English way too.
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