Pipis in Wine & Coriander - Amêijoas à Bulhão Pato

My parents came from the Algarve in Portugal, an area synonymous with beaches, sun & seafood.
Seafood played a huge roll in our family usually eaten fresh & simply.

My grandfather was a fisherman who sold his catch at  the local market in the town, Loule, where he  had a small stall. So my dad new lots about seafood, a fisherman in his own right.
When he came to live in Australia he headed for the sea,with a small boat he bought, to catch a lot of the food we ate, pipis caught in Woolongong, shark, snapper & yellow tail , at Kurnell.
I remember being taken to Watsons Bay with my brother & sisters & while my dad was out on his small boat with a friend, we were on the sand playing, it must have been 4am. We loved it, the beach at this time was beautiful, so quiet & still, it felt magical.


This is a dish that's eaten all over Portugal, you'll find it on every Algarve menu & a dish I grew up with.
Whenever I see Pipis I quickly snap them up. This is one of my favorite ways to eat them.

TIPS
When buying pipis (clams) make sure they are closed or close when you tap them on the shell, if they remain open then they are dead & not very fresh. My mum refuses to eat any that are dead, they can still be eaten but if you want quality then fresh is best. If they are dead than you won't know how long they've been dead.
Cook them that day,  & store  them in the warmest part of your refrigerator the crisper.
Ask your fishmonger if they've been purged of sand. If not than soak them in sea water overnight.

Recipe
Serves 4 

• 1.5 kg pipis
• 10 garlic cloves, sliced
• 150ml olive oil
• 50g butter
• 300ml white wine
• 1 bunch coriander, chopped, separate stalk & leaves 
• 4 tea salt
• pepper to taste

1

1. In a saucepan heat the oil than quickly add the garlic, coriander leaves & quickly stir.
You want it toasted slightly, not burned.

2.Then add the pipis, wine, salt & cover. Cook 2 min. Then remove the lid & add the coriander leaves.

Serve with bread.


TIPS

• The Algarve people use coriander with there seafood, you can use parsley if you like
• Frying the stalk of a herb releases flavour
• Discard any pipis that haven't opened they are not any good