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Long ago Portuguese fishermen and explorers traveled far from home, visited many ports of the world,and brought back a variety of food products that the Portuguese adopted into their daily diet.This is what makes the cuisine of Portugal so interesting,and often so different.
Portuguese cooking can best be described as hearty,made with lots of fresh produce,and of course being situated on the shores of the Atlantic,many varieties of seafood.Their favorite fish is not caught in local waters but is instead imported from Norway,and Iceland,and that is salt cod,or "bacalhau".Salt cod was first brought back to Portugal from New Foundland,and what was a food of convenience in winter,and on long voyages,became one of Portugal's national dishes.That along with other products from the sea help define Portugal's fabulous seafood cuisine.
Browse thru recipes for salt cod,a very good clam soup,and fish with port wine.
RECIPES Bolinhos de Bacalhau Arroz de bacalhau Bacalhau Gomes de Sá Bacalhau à Margarida Portuguese style mussels Peixe Oporto Caldeirada De Peixe Bolinhas de Camarao Peixe Molho Cru SOPA DE AMEIJOAS Portuguese Stuffed Squid Bolinhos de Bacalhau 1 pound Salt Cod-cleaned and soaked 1 small Onion-thinly sliced 1 Bayleaf 2 cups of mashed Potatoes dash of Salt dash of Black Pepper 2 Eggs-beaten 2 Tbls. fresh Parsley-chopped Oil for frying Cut salt cod into small pieces/In a large saucepan heat 2 cups of water with the onion,and bayleaf/Add the cod and an additional 2 cups of water to the saucepan and poach the cod until it's no longer transparent/To form the bolinhos, drain the fish and flake it into a large mixing bowl/Add the mashed potatoes, eggs, salt, pepper, and parsley/Mix well with your hands or a wooden spoon/let stand for a half hour/Roll small portions of the mixture into balls about 1 1/2-inches in diameter/In a heavy skillet over medium-high heat, warm oil for frying/Fry the cod balls in the oil until golden, and remove to paper towels to drain excess oil. Arroz de bacalhau 1 lb.of salt cod-soaked and cleaned 1 Onion-sliced thin 4 tbsp Olive oil 1 lb.of salt cod 1 tomato-peeled,cored,and chopped Salt and pepper to taste 1 2/3 cup Short-grain rice heat the olive oil in a heavy sauce pan/add the onion and brown/Meanwhile, shred the cod,and Add to the onion/cover and simmer for about 10 minutes/Add the tomatoes and cook 20-to-30 minutes over low heat/Add 3 1/3 cups water to the pan,and season with salt and pepper/When the water boils, add the rice and continue to cook on low heat until the rice is done. Bacalhau Gomes de Sá 1 lb of salt cod-soaked and cleaned,and cut into five pieces 10 potatoes-cooked and sliced 4 hard boiled eggs-sliced 2 cups of olive oil 1 onion-sliced 12 black olives-chopped salt black pepper heat the olive oil in a large skillet/add cod and simmer until done/add onion and cook until onion is transparent/add potatoes and all the other ingredients,and heat thru. Bacalhau à Margarida 1 lb of salt cod-cleaned and soaked 2 lg onions-sliced 3 cloves of garlic-chopped 1/2 cup of olive oil 12 small potatoes-peeled,and boiled pre heat oven to 350/place the slices of cod in an oven dish,and cover with olive oil/place the onions,and garlic on the cod,and cook for about 30-40 minutes/serve with boiled potatoes. Portuguese style mussels 3 lbs. of Mussels-cleaned,and scrubbed 1 Garlic clove -chopped 2 tbls. Olive oil 4 Shallots chopped finely 3 tsp. Butter 2/3 cup Dry white wine 1/3 cup Water 3 tsp parsley-minced pinch of dried thyme 2 Bay leaves 1/2 tsp. pepper 4 ounces of cream parsley-chopped Lemon quarters heat the olive oil and butter in a pan with cover/saute the garlic,and shallots and cook til transparent/Add wine, water, parsley, thyme, bay leaf, pepper and mussels/Pour cream over the top,Cover the pan,and bring to boil and steam over a high heat for about 4 minutes, shaking pan constantly/The shells will open as the mussels cook/serve in big soup dishes,garnished with lemon wedges,and parsley. Peixe Oporto 1 1/2 lb Sea bream or other white fish-cleaned 2 Egg yolks 1 tbl. Cream 1 oz Butter Paprika 2/3 cup of Port wine Salt season the fish with salt and paprika/pre heat oven to 350/butter an oven dish,and bake fish for about 5 minutes/Add the port wine and continue cooking until the fish is tender(about 15 to 20 minutes) Strain the liquid from the dish and cook quickly in a saucepan to reduce slightly/allow it to cool before beating in the egg yolks/add the cream and reheat slowly/pour sauce over the fish. Caldeirada De Peixe 1/2 lb Fish(any fresh fish will do) 4 tbls. Olive oil 2 Onions-chopped 8 Tomatoes-peeled,and chopped 1 Green pepper-seeded,and chopped 1/2 tsp. of Salt 4 Cloves of garlic- crushed 1 pinch of Nutmeg 1/2 tsp Ground allspice 3 tsp Piri-piri sauce(recipe follows) 1/2 cup of white wine 1 cup of coriander leaves-chopped Clean the fish and cut into small pieces, removing as many bones as possible/Sprinkle salt over the fish and let sit while you make the sauce/Heat 3 Tbsp of the oil in a saucepan and saute the onions, tomatoes and pepper/Cook until they start to soften, then put in the garlic, nutmeg, allspice and piri-piri sauce/Add the wine and a little water/Cook for about 5 minutes/Lightly oil the bottom of a shallow, ovenproff dish/ Put in a layer of fish followed by a layer of sauce and sprinkle with coriander/Continue with these layers until the ingredients are used up/dot with butter,and Cook in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until the fish is tender. Bolinhas de Camarao 2 1/2 lbs. of shrimp-cleaned,boiled,and diced 1 1/2 lbs of potatoes-boiled,and diced 1 medium green pepper- chopped 1 onion- chopped 4 eggs 1 cup of milk salt pepper chopped parsley 2 cups of flour Mix the first four ingredients/Beat the eggs with the milk/Add salt, pepper and parsley/mix this with the first four ingredients/Mix and add the flour until you can pick up the mixture by the tablespoons full and form it into balls/heat vegetable oil in a deep skillet/ Fry a few at a time and drain on paper towles. Peixe Molho Cru 1 cup vinegar 1 bay leaf pinch saffron 1/2 cup minced onion flour 2 lbs.flounder fillets Combine vinegar,bay leaf,saffron,and onion/Coat fish with flour and fry and let cool/Arrange fish on platter,and Pour sauce over fish. SOPA DE AMEIJOAS 4-5 pounds small clams-scrubbed salt 2 slices of bacon 1 large onion 1/4 cup olive oil 1 tablespoon butter parsley 2 1/2 quarts water 1 1/2 cups uncooked rice 1 package (10 oz) frozen peas Dice bacon and onion and saute with oil and butter in a deep pot or Dutch oven/Add clams and some parsley/ Cover and saute slowly for about 20 minutes/ Add water/When this comes to a boil, add rice. Add frozen peas/Allow to come to a boil again and then turn down heat. allowing soup to simmer slowly until rice has softened/add clams/cover and cook untill clams open and rice is cooked. Portuguese Stuffed Squid 12 squid-cleaned 1/4 cup olive oil 1 cup whole rice 3 cups water 1/4 lb. linguiça sausage-chopped 1 package frozen peas-thawed and drained 1 large onion-chopped 3 eggs 2 bay leaves Salt and pepper Sauce 1 large can whole tomatoes 1 large onion-chopped 2 cloves garlic-minced olive oil Clean the squid by pulling off the head and backbone. Remove the ink sac being careful not to break it. Wash the squid thoroughly, inside and out. Set the bodies aside. Chop the tentacles and reserve/In a heavy skillet/cook the linguiça with the bay leaf,and onions stirring until the onion is light brown/Add the rice, water and the chopped tentacles/Stir constantly over medium heat,and cook until the rice is almost dry/Add the peas, eggs and salt and pepper. When the eggs are cooked, remove the pan from the stove/Stuff the squid bodies with the rice mixture/secure the stuffing in the squid bodies With toothpicks/ c Make the sauce by sautéeing the onion, garlic and tomatoes in the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper/Pour the sauce over the squid and bake for one hour at 350°. Remove the toothpicks. secure the stuffing in the squid bodies. |