Clam

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

For a more colorful presentation of this down-home dip, we reserved some bacon, bell pepper, scallions, and basil for garnish. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This dish is named after the copper Portuguese cooking vessel, the cataplana, in which it is traditionally cooked.

This dish from Ciudad in Los Angeles was inspired by the flavors of Portuguese cooking.

The Mediterranean fish soup bourride is something like a bouillabaisse but has a consistency more like stew. Instead of putting the aïoli directly into the soup, as is traditional, Adams likes to dollop it onto toasts.

Crusty Italian bread and mixed greens with a red wine vinaigrette are good with the pasta. Afterward, put out big strawberries and bowls of mascarpone cheese (or sour cream) and brown sugar for dipping.

Oyster-roast masters like Louis Osteen, who have been doing this for years, use huge pits or grills that are large enough to cook sausages, oysters, and clams all at the same time. We recommend using whatever type of oyster is locally available to you. Examine them carefully—discard any that smell bad. If any are cracked or open, and don't close when tapped, discard those as well. When roasting oysters, it's important to keep them moist enough to create steam (hence the soaked burlap or water in the roasting pan). If roasted dry, they can explode. To make this menu simpler, you could skip making the clams; there will still be plenty of food for everyone.

"I got the inspiration for this recipe from a dish we made in a cooking class I took recently," says Tracy McGillis of San Francisco, California. "I added a few twists and came up with my own tasty version."

You will need three pots for this recipe.

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 2 hr

This is as delicious with mussels as it is with clams. Offer a simple green salad afterward, and pears and a wedge of Italian cheese for dessert.

This Portuguese classic cooked in the style of the Ribatejo region, consists of pork and shellfish in a red wine sauce. The recipe comes from Antonio's restaurant, in New Bedford, Massachusetts, where they accompany the stew with fried potatoes.