Cataplana: how to put it on the menu
Cataplana is both the pan and the dish: a clam-shaped copper pan that closes like an oyster and cooks the ingredients in their own steam. It is the Algarve’s most typical dish.
Updated October 2026
How it reads on the menu, in each language
| Language | Name | Line for the guest |
|---|---|---|
| Portuguese | Cataplana de marisco | Marisco e peixe cozinhados na cataplana de cobre com tomate, pimento, cebola, vinho branco e coentros. |
| English | Cataplana | Algarve seafood stew cooked and served in a sealed copper pan, with tomato, peppers, onion, white wine and coriander. |
| Spanish | Cataplana | Guiso del Algarve de marisco y pescado, cocinado y servido en una cataplana de cobre, con tomate, pimiento, cebolla, vino blanco y cilantro. |
| French | Cataplana | Mijoté de fruits de mer de l’Algarve, cuit et servi dans une cataplana en cuivre fermée, avec tomate, poivron, oignon, vin blanc et coriandre. |
Usual allergens to check
- Crustaceans
- Fish
- 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 Cataplana is
The commonest versions are seafood (clams, prawns, mussels), fish, clams with pork, or monkfish — always with tomato, peppers, onion, garlic, white wine and coriander.
How to write it for visitors
Always say which cataplana it is — “Cataplana” alone does not tell guests whether it is fish, seafood or pork. Say how many people it serves and how long it takes, as many places cook it to order.
Where and when it is eaten
In the Algarve, in fish and seafood restaurants, and increasingly in Lisbon and along the coast.
Frequently asked questions
Which allergens does a cataplana contain?
It depends on the version: molluscs and crustaceans in seafood cataplana, fish in fish cataplana, molluscs in clams with pork. Almost always sulphites (white wine). List them version by version.
What is a cataplana?
A copper pan that closes like a shell, and the dish cooked in it, typical of the Algarve.