Amêijoas à Bulhão Pato: how to put it on the menu
Amêijoas à Bulhão Pato are clams opened in a pan with olive oil, plenty of garlic, coriander and a little lemon (and, in some places, a splash of white wine). The sauce left behind is for dipping bread.
Updated October 2026
How it reads on the menu, in each language
| Language | Name | Line for the guest |
|---|---|---|
| Portuguese | Amêijoas à Bulhão Pato | Amêijoas abertas em azeite com muito alho e coentros, com um pouco de limão. Pão para o molho. |
| English | Amêijoas à Bulhão Pato | Clams opened in olive oil with plenty of garlic and coriander and a squeeze of lemon. Bread on the side for the sauce. |
| Spanish | Amêijoas à Bulhão Pato | Almejas abiertas en aceite de oliva con mucho ajo y cilantro, y un toque de limón. Con pan para la salsa. |
| French | Amêijoas à Bulhão Pato | Palourdes ouvertes à l’huile d’olive, avec beaucoup d’ail et de coriandre et un filet de citron. Pain pour la sauce. |
Usual allergens to check
- Molluscs
A guide based on the traditional recipe. Only your recipe and your suppliers tell you what the dish contains. How to list allergens
What Amêijoas à Bulhão Pato is
The name honours the 19th-century poet Raimundo António de Bulhão Pato, who is said to have loved the dish.
How to write it for visitors
Say whether bread is included or charged separately, and whether it contains wine (sulphites). In seafood restaurants, say whether the price is per portion or per kilo.
Where and when it is eaten
In Lisbon and along the coast, in seafood restaurants and beer halls, as a starter or petisco.
Frequently asked questions
Which allergens do amêijoas à Bulhão Pato contain?
Molluscs. If made with white wine, also sulphites; the bread for the sauce contains gluten.
Who was Bulhão Pato?
A 19th-century Portuguese poet to whom the dish was dedicated.