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Portuguese

Carne de porco à alentejana

Non-vegetarian

Cubes of pork marinated in garlic, wine and red pepper paste, fried and tossed with clams and crisp potato cubes, finished with coriander and lemon.

Carne de porco à alentejana is a Portuguese main course from Portugal, ready in about 1 hour 5 minutes and made with pork shoulder, clams and potato. It serves 4 and is rated intermediate to cook.

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Pan of pork cubes with clams and fried potatoes, carne de porco à alentejana
Photo: {{#if:37777824@N00|Rui Ornelas|{{#if:|[{} Rui Ornelas]|Rui Ornelas}}}} {{#if:|from {}|}}{{#ifeq: |File|}} / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-2.0
Prep
25 min
Cook
40 min
Total
1 h 5 min
Serves
4
Level
Intermediate
Calories
798

Plus at least 4 hours (ideally overnight) marinating.

Ingredients

4 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Mix the pork with the garlic (opens in a new tab), paprika (opens in a new tab) paste, wine, bay leaves (opens in a new tab) and salt. Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours.

    • 5 min

    Food safety: Marinate raw pork in the fridge.

    Meat coated in a spiced marinade in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Ip Photographer on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Deep-fry the potato (opens in a new tab) cubes in olive oil (opens in a new tab) at 170 °C until golden and crisp. Drain and season lightly.

    Food safety: Never leave hot oil unattended.

    Food deep-frying in hot oil
    How it looks · Photo: Riya Roy on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Lift the pork from the marinade and brown in batches in a little of the oil (or lard (opens in a new tab)) in a wide pot. Pour in the marinade and simmer until the pork is tender and the liquid has reduced.

  4. Step 4

    Add the clams (opens in a new tab), cover and cook over high heat until they open, shaking the pan. Discard any that stay shut.

    • 5 min
    • high heat

    Food safety: Only use clams that are closed before cooking and open after.

  5. Step 5

    Fold in the fried potatoes (opens in a new tab) over the heat for a minute just to warm them, scatter with coriander and serve with lemon (opens in a new tab) wedges and pickles.

    • 2 min
    • medium heat
    Fresh herbs scattered over a finished dish
    How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Portugal · Commonly attributedNamed after the Alentejo, but the pork-and-clams combination is thought to come from the Algarve coast.More food from Portugal
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Main courses
Cooking method
Marinated / cured, Pan-fried, Deep-fried, Steamed
Taste
garlicky, savoury, citrusy
Diet
No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · Whole-food focused · Paleo-style · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Beef-free · High-protein
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Festive & celebration
Cook more with
Pork shoulder · Clams · Potato · Garlic · Paprika · Dry white wine
Techniques
Pan-frying · Deep-frying · Simmering · Steaming · Marinating

Allergens

  • Contains: Molluscsfrom clams
  • May contain: Mustardfrom dill pickles
  • Contains: Sulphitesfrom dry white wine

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

798 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 509 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 22%
  • Carbohydrate 21%
  • Fat 57%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy798 kcal157 kcal
Protein42.1 g8.3 g
Carbohydrate39.6 g7.8 g
Net carbohydrate34 g6.7 g
Sugars3 g0.6 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre5.6 g1.1 g
Fat47.7 g9.4 g
Saturated fat13.2 g2.6 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol139 mg27 mg
Sodium1015 mg199 mg
Salt equivalent2.5 g0.5 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
1472 mg
Calcium
97 mg
Iron
5.3 mg
Magnesium
97 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
136 µg
Vitamin C
49 mg
Vitamin D
3 µg
Vitamin B12
6.9 µg
Folate (DFE)
43 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: lard, dill pickles.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Add the potatoes at the very last moment so they stay crisp.

Common mistakes

  • Skipping the purge: clams that haven't spat out their sand make the whole dish gritty.

Storage

  • Best eaten at once.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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