Provincetown Portuguese Cookbook

Peixe

Spicy Salt Cod Cakes with Chouriço and Stewed Fava Beans | Essence - Rustic Rub | Cod Fish Cakes | Boiled Codfish Dinner | Codfish Casserole | Cod Fish Salad | Brazilian Fish Stew | Marinated Fish Steaks in Spicy Wine Sauce | Tim's Portuguese Codfish | Amêijoas Na Cataplana | Amêijoas Bulho Pato | Sea Clam Casserole | Portuguese Clams and Rice | Moon's Mussels | Shrimp Cake | Catfish Vinho D'Alhos | Joyce's Stuffed Flounder | Clara's Flounder | Stuffed Squid | Madeira Squid Stew with Couscous | Tillie's Mackerel | Portuguese Fish Bake

Nancy Meads

Nancy Meads and her husband Larry instilled a love of fresh fish and clams in all of their five children. On any winter's day, especially during clam season, it's not unusual to see a Meads out on the flats digging clams. Nancy's daughter, Nancyann, the proprietress of the Cafe Edwige, talked her mother into parting with this favorite family recipe. Nancyann says that she often serves this Portugese Rice with Clams at the Edwige.

1 cup long grain rice

1/2 cup olive oil

2 small onions, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

4 dozen littleneck clams

4 cloves garlic, minced

3 cups whole tomatoes

1 tsp. saffron

1/2 pound linguiça, with the casing removed

Salt and pepper to taste

Steam the clams in very little water until they open. Discard any that do not open and set the clams aside. Reserve the cooking liquid, being careful to keep any sand the clams expel at the bottom of the pot.

Sauté the rice in the olive oil until golden brown. Add the onion, green pepper, garlic and linguiça. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Break the tomatoes up with the back of a spoon, saving the juice, and add to the rice mixture. Cook over a low flame until the rice is soft. Add some of the reserved clam juice when necessary. R emove the clams from their shells, keeping 8 to 10 in the shells for garnish. Add the clams and saffron. Mix well and serve with Portuguese bread.

Serves 4.