Portuguese Recipes

Portuguese cooking is built on the Atlantic and on the farm. Salted cod, fresh sardines, octopus and clams share the table with pork, kid and chicken, and olive oil, garlic, bay and coriander season almost everything. Centuries of sea trade brought chilies, cinnamon and sugar home, which is why piri-piri sauce, warm spices and rich egg-yolk sweets feel so Portuguese. Bread matters: dense broa from the north, and soaked-bread dishes such as açorda in the Alentejo. Soup opens most lunches and dinners, with caldo verde the best known. Meals are slow and generous, usually with rice or potatoes on the side and a simple salad. Salt cod appears all year and anchors the Christmas Eve table. Sweets come from convent kitchens and lean on eggs, almonds and sugar, from pastéis de nata to pão de ló. A short coffee and a small pastry round off the day.

Staple ingredients

• salted cod (bacalhau)
• olive oil
• garlic
• sardines and octopus
• pork and chouriço
• kale and cabbage
• rice
• eggs and almonds for sweets

• Appetizers 3
• Soups 3
• Salads 1
• Main Dishes 13
• Breads 2
• Desserts 7
• Snacks 1

Appetizers

• Bolinhos de Bacalhau (Portuguese Salt Cod Fritters)PT1 h 10 minMedium
• Peixinhos da Horta (Portuguese Fried Green Beans)PT45 minEasy
• Rissóis de Camarão (Portuguese Shrimp Turnovers)PT1 h 40 minChallenging

Soups

• Caldo Verde (Portuguese Kale and Potato Soup)PT55 minEasy
• Sopa de Legumes (Portuguese Vegetable Soup)PT55 minEasy
• Açorda Alentejana (Alentejo Bread Soup with Garlic and Coriander)PT30 minEasy

Salads

• Salada de Grão com Bacalhau (Chickpea and Salt Cod Salad)PT50 minEasy

Main Dishes

• Frango Piri-Piri (Portuguese Piri-Piri Grilled Chicken)PT1 h 20 minMedium
• Sardinhas Assadas (Portuguese Grilled Sardines)PT1 h 5 minEasy
• Amêijoas na Cataplana (Clams with Chouriço and Cured Ham)PT50 minEasy
• Arroz de Marisco (Portuguese Seafood Rice)PT1 h 10 minMedium
• Arroz de Pato (Portuguese Duck Rice)PT2 h 35 minMedium
• Bacalhau com Natas (Salt Cod Baked with Cream and Potatoes)PT1 h 35 minMedium
• Bacalhau à Brás (Shredded Salt Cod with Eggs and Potato Straws)PT1 hMedium
• Caldeirada de Peixe (Portuguese Fish Stew)PT1 h 10 minEasy
• Carne de Porco à Alentejana (Portuguese Pork and Clams)PT1 h 40 minMedium
• Cozido à Portuguesa (Portuguese Boiled Meats and Vegetables)PT3 h 20 minMedium
• Feijoada à Portuguesa (Portuguese Bean and Pork Stew)PT2 h 35 minEasy
• Francesinha (Porto Steak and Sausage Sandwich)PT1 h 15 minMedium
• Polvo à Lagareiro (Roast Octopus with Olive Oil and Potatoes)PT1 h 50 minMedium

Breads

• Bolo do Caco (Madeiran Sweet Potato Flatbread with Garlic Butter)PT1 h 10 minMedium
• Broa de Milho (Portuguese Cornbread)PT1 h 15 minMedium

Desserts

• Pastéis de Nata (Portuguese Custard Tarts)PT1 h 10 minMedium
• Arroz Doce (Portuguese Rice Pudding)PT1 hEasy
• Bolo de Bolacha (Portuguese Biscuit and Coffee Cake)PT55 minEasy
• Bolo Rei (Portuguese Christmas King Cake)PT1 h 20 minMedium
• Pudim Flan (Portuguese Caramel Custard)PT1 h 35 minMedium
• Pão de Ló (Portuguese Sponge Cake)PT55 minMedium
• Toucinho do Céu (Portuguese Almond and Egg Yolk Cake)PT1 h 5 minMedium

Snacks

• Bifana (Portuguese Garlic Pork Sandwich)PT40 minEasy