Portuguese Sausage and Clams
Visiting the Northwest a few years ago and spending a weekend with some friends from Portugal I had the pleasure to be introduced to this dish. It is as unusual as it sounds, clams and homemade sausage. With some fish stock in the freezer this is a quick and easy dish to prepare.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 Tbsp finely chopped garlic
- 1 Tbsp peeled and finely chopped ginger
- 2 cups chopped yellow onion
- 3 cups chopped red and yellow bell pepper
- ½ lb mild or medium Portuguese (Linguica), cut into ¼-inch chunks
- 1½ cup dry sake
- 6 cups rich fish stock or bottled clam juice
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 Tbsp Vietnamese garlic-chili sauce
- 2 cups peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped tomato
- 5 dozen clams, well scrubbed
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish
Instructions
- In a large sauté pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, ginger onion, and bell peppers and sauté for 2-3 minutes, until wilted. Add the sausage and sauté for another 5 minutes, or until the sausage is lightly browned.
- Add the sake to the mixture and deglaze the pan, stirring to dislodge any browned bits on the pan bottom. Add the fish stock and cook for another 10 minutes, until reduced by half. Add the chili sauce and tomato and stir well. Finish up with adding heavy cream and continue to stir.
- Add the clams to the pan, cover and cook on medium heat for 8-9 minutes, until the clams open.
- Discard any clams that failed to open.
- Ladle into warmed bowls and garnish with cilantro.