Almejas a la marinera

Almejas a la marinera are Galicia’s clams “sailor style”: opened in a sauce of onion, garlic, paprika, wine and tomato, thickened just enough to cling to every shell. Where Portugal’s Bulhão Pato keeps clams minimalist, Spain’s marinera wraps them in a blanket.

The flour-thickened, paprika-warmed sauce is the signature — built in the same pan, ready by the time the clams have purged their sand.

It is tapas-bar food that behaves beautifully at home: one pan, half an hour, and a sauce that makes the bread ration disappear before the clams do.

Almejas a la Marinera Recipe

Prep time: 10 minutes (plus 1 hour purging) · Cook time: 20 minutes · Total: 30 minutes active · Servings: 4 · Calories: ~186 per serving

Ingredients

• 2 pounds fresh clams (Manila or littleneck)
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional but recommended)
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 1 cup fish stock (or water)
• 1 medium tomato, grated (or ½ cup tomato purée)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Lemon wedges and crusty bread, for serving

Instructions

1. Soak the clams in cold salted water for an hour to purge the sand; rinse well and discard any that stay open.
2. Heat the olive oil in a deep skillet and cook the onion until translucent, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and paprika and cook 1 to 2 minutes more.
4. Sprinkle in the flour, stir, and cook 1 minute.
5. Add the wine, scraping the pan, and reduce 2 to 3 minutes.
6. Add the stock and tomato and simmer 5 to 7 minutes, until slightly thickened. Season.
7. Add the clams, cover, and cook 5 to 7 minutes, shaking occasionally, until they open. Discard any that refuse.
8. Finish with parsley and serve at once with lemon and bread.

Recipe Notes

• Albariño in the pan and in the glass is the Galician way.
• The sauce also welcomes mussels or a mix of shellfish.
• For Bulhão Pato-style purists, my Portuguese clam recipe is on the site — compare and pick a side.