14 Portuguese Recipes to Add to Your Repertoire
Make the most of rice, linguiça, and salt cod with Portuguese dishes from salad to seafood stew.
Portuguese food is some of our favorite to cook at home. Whether we're craving a show-stopping braised pork and clams or comforting bacalhau à brás (salt cod, eggs, and potatoes), Portuguese cooking is filled with hit after hit. Prepare these delicious classic Portuguese recipes at home and transport yourself to Portugal. Whatever you do, don't forget the Portuguese wine pairing.
Arroz de Galinha
As the child of Portuguese immigrants, 2011 F&W Best New Chef George Mendes grew up eating all sorts of rice dishes at home. "There was simple tomato rice served with fried fish and then rabbit rice on special occasions and holidays," he says. This cozy chicken and rice recipe draws on those memories.
Stuffed Clams with Linguiça and Arugula
Littleneck clams are blended with breadcrumbs, jalapeño, celery, arugula, and linguiça — a Portuguese smoke-cured pork sausage — before they are stuffed back into their shells and baked until piping hot and lightly browned. Portuguese rolls are light and airy with a crisp crust, making them ideal for this stuffing: the crumb readily absorbs flavor.
Porco à Alentejana (Portuguese Braised Pork and Clams)
This simple braise is a mainstay along the coast of Portugal. With clams from the sea and pork from the nearby mountains, it speaks to the landscape, and diet, of Portugal itself. Its garlicky broth pairs well with crusty bread and dry Portuguese wine.
Cataplana (Portuguese Fish Stew)
This Cataplana from F&W's culinary director at large Justin Chapple is his version of a savory feast of shellfish and smoky linguiça hailing from the Algarve in Portugal. Named for the vessel it is traditionally cooked and served in, the stew gets lots of flavor from the Portuguese linguiça included, and you can substitute Spanish-style chorizo or even kielbasa in a pinch.
Cataplana Stew with Sausage and Clams
Portuguese cataplana is a long-simmered pork stew to which clams are added. For our quick take on the dish, we've replaced the usual pork shoulder with sausage.
10-Minute Salt Cod with Corn and Littleneck Clams
Instead of using salt cod, a classic Portuguese ingredient that takes days to soak, Mendes of New York City's Aldea quick-cures fresh cod by standing it in kosher salt for only 10 minutes. He says cod is naturally soft and flaky ("as well as bland," he adds), so salting gives it a firmer texture and a more pronounced flavor.
Portuguese Beef Stew with Ruby Port
Dirk Niepoort is a terrific cook in addition to being a groundbreaking winemaker. With his substantial Douro Valley reds, he likes to serve this hearty beef stew. At his home in Oporto, he intensifies the flavor by using old vintage port in the sauce (along with the sediment in the bottle).
Bacalhau à Brás (Salt Cod, Eggs, and Potatoes)
Bacalhau à Brás is one of the most famous Portuguese dishes and is considered the ultimate comfort meal in Portugal. The dish uses many of the quintessential ingredients found in Portuguese cooking: bacalhau (salt cod), eggs, potatoes, and black olives.
Portuguese Clam and Chorizo Stew
Piquillo peppers add a spicy, bittersweet edge to this classic seafood stew. Roasted red bell peppers and a pinch of cayenne pepper may be substituted.
Ed's Portuguese Fish Stew
Chef Michael Cimarusti's L.A. restaurant, Connie & Ted's, served this flavorful stew named after his Portuguese uncle. It's loaded with clams, mussels, and cod as well as chunks of linguiça.
Linguiça Breakfast Sandwich with Avocado and Salsa Verde
George Mendes serves this Portuguese take on the classic egg and cheese sandwich. In place of breakfast sausage, he uses linguiça. If you can't find it, look for a smoky sausage like fresh chorizo.
Heirloom Tomato Salad with Tuna Confit
This is chef George Mendes’s version of the simple tomato salads common in the Algarve region of southern Portugal. For a shortcut, use best-quality, olive oil–packed canned tuna.
Portuguese Piri Piri Sauce
Use this easy-to-make sauce as a marinade on grilled meats and fish or spread on toast as an appetizer.
Rice Pudding
This classic dessert is served at almost every Portuguese celebration, but it originated in the Minho province, where Emeril Lagasse's mother's family is from. The pudding is very sweet — as are most desserts in Portugal — but this recipe has been modified to American tastes.
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