Seafood Guide

Portugal’s long history is intertwined with the ocean. A culture of fisherman and sailors and a 100m long coastline on the mainland, not to mention the archipelagos of Madeira & Azores, it’s easy to understand how the Portuguese have an appreciation for the bounty the waters bring.

The vast array can be daunting, so here’s a handy A-Z of the most common marisco (seafood) followed by the peixe (fish) eaten in Lisbon.

For a list of my favourite seafood restaurants, go here.

Bestie Tip: you won’t find the Portuguese ordering seafood on a Monday, because the fishermen haven’t been out on the Sunday to catch anything.

MARISCO | SEAFOOD

Ameijoas | Clams

Starting off strong with probably my number one marisco. The amêijoa is a small but mighty native clam that is most commonly in the classic dish Amêijoas à Bulhão Pato (clams in a parsley lemony sauce), which I cannot recommend highly enough. You’ll also get them on top of pork when you have Carne de Porco à Alentejana, which sounds odd but somehow totally works.

Camarao De Costa | Deep Water Shrimp

The small common prawn, best ordered as a snack alongside a cold beer or in garlic as an appetizer.

Camarao Tigre | Tiger Prawn

This is the big boy. The fat cat. The king dingaling of the prawn kingdom. He’s usually imported from African countries, butterflied and cooked on the grill.

Carabineiro | Scarlet Prawn

Found in portugal’s warmer waters, this is a juicy decent sized boy, deep red in colour, and sweet in flavour. He’s best appreciated grilled. And such a premium crustacean means as little as possible is wasted - the portuguese will often suck out the ooze in his head! I personally like them in arroz de marisco (seafood rice).

Choco | Cuttlefish

How we share a planet with this strange looking thing, I really don't know. What I do know is he’s delish! The best way to eat him is choco frito, like a fried calamari, but in short strips instead of rings. I highly recommend going for lunch or even a weekend to Setubal where the choco is super fresh and highly prized and where most choco in Lisbon comes from.

Lapas | Limpetes

I’m being a bit cheeky including them here as they’re not all that common here - they’re usually found in Madeira and Acores - but if you do find them on a menu in Lisboa, I don’t want you to skip over it! The tastiest of all the barnacles in my opinion, eaten grilled on a hot pan in a delicate sauce.

Lavagante | European Lobster & Lagosta | Spiny Lobster

I’m sure I don’t need to explain a lobster to you. The question here is which you’ll prefer.

The lagosta is slightly sweeter, usually from Ericeira or Peniche, and the lavagante is the big boy with pincers, tender and more expensive. There’s also the bruxas, but for 100 euro a kilo, I’ll leave that one up too.

Lingueirãos | razor clams

These long suckers are best eaten steamed and have a delicious almost nutty flavour. I do feel a bit guilty listing this though - fishermen catching razor clams by hand have been outdone by trawlers that rake the sands mechanically, overfishing the lingueirão to the extent that they have been all but wiped out locally. Try once to tick it off the list, and if you fall in love, eat sparingly.

Lula | Squid

Most often, you’ll find fresh lulas grilled over a charcoal grill. I like lulinhas (mini squid) on a skewer from a churascuria.

Mexilhões | Mussels

Perhaps not as common as the Ameijoa, it’s still fair to say they’re a part of Portugal's seafood scene. They have many recipes to eat them as the star dish but are also often included in mixed seafood dishes like cataplana, caldeirada or feijoada de marisco.

Percebes | Gooseneck barnacles

Pricey, delicious, and more than a little weird looking, these creatures grow on the hard surfaces of rocks and flotsam in the ocean. It’s extremely hard work to harvest them, which is why a small to medium serving at a restaurant can easily go for 25 or 30 euros. Usually served steamed (ao natural), don’t let the strange shell put you off, get cracking, - literally crack the tips off - and enjoy the meat inside the body.

Navalheiras | Velvet Crab

Navalheiras make any seafood lover happy. Sweet, velvety, absolutely delicious but mild. A seafood lover’s dream come true! These flat-shelled smaller crabs are worth the work to get very morsel out.

Ostras | Oysters

Portuguese have always produced oysters, and even export to France! The cold waters of the Atlantic make oysters particularly flavorful. Savoring a fresh Portuguese oyster, paired with a high-quality espumante, is a must-do.

Polvo | Octopus

Very popular here, it’s usually served as polvo à lagareiro, a roasted or grilled tentacle with a lot of olive oil involved and some baked potatoes. It’s also often served chopped up in a small salad as a starter.

Sapateira | Brown Crab

The brown crab contains two different types of meat – the white meat from the claws and legs, and the brown meat from the body. Truth be told: the best part is found in the pincers. In Portugal the best way to eat it is sapateira recheada, (the body’s shell is filled with a delicious creamy crab paté). Ideal for enjoying with crackers or toasted bread.

PEIXE | FISH

Bacalhau | Cod

It will be immediately apparent, this fish is beloved here. Bacalhau, along with the sardine, is intrinsic to portuguese culture. The frequency on the menu, and the variety of dishes made from this species alone, you might have thought it was a locally-caught species. In reality, these are industrially fished in the icy cold waters of the Baltic and Northern Atlantic and sent here dehydrated in salt. Such a strong flavoured fish isn’t always for everyone. For me, I’m not a fan of the re-hydrated texture (don’t tell anyone, I’ll get my visa revoked) but I can recommend ordering Bacalhau á Bras for a newby to this fish.

Carapau | Horse Mackerel

The best of the mackerels, the Carapau is a great choice, somewhat similar to the sardine, in my humble opinion. Chock-full of healthy Omega-3s.

Dourada | Gilt-head Seabream

My personal fave of all the fishies! Common in tascas for lunch or dinner, it’s very light,white and clean flavoured. For people who don’t like their fish too, well, “fishy”. Like many fish on the list, it’s typically grilled whole with olive oil and sea salt.

Peixe Espada | Scabbard Fish

A bloody ugly thing that looks more like a monster eel than a fish, it’s thankfully served grilled, in small pieces, so you’ll never have to see him properly. The flesh is white, light, and absolutely delicious. Highly recommend.

Robalo | European Sea Bass

Considered slightly more flavorful than the dourada, to me they’re fairly interchangeable. Good to share for 2 when they have a larger sized one.

When given an option between the two species though, I usually choose the dourada as an environmental choice as the robalo is on a decline due to overfishing.

Salmao | Salmon

I don’t need to explain what salmon is. Not native to portugal, it’s imported, but it’s still quite common.

Salmonette | Red stripped mullet

Don't let its portuguese moniker confuse you, it’s nothing like a salmon. Small and flavourful, best ordered in winter when it’s in season.

Sardinha | Sardine

The iconic fish of portugal. You can usually find them all year round, but only tourists eat them out of season. Sardine season is “in the months without an “R” (May-August). Traditionally they are eaten whole over a fresh piece of bread, but often as is on a plate. The spines are small and thin enough to eat and the flesh is soft. When festa week is on, you can eat it everyday in the street!

Tamboril | Monkfish

Arroz de Tamboril (Monkfish stewed rice) and Cataplana de Tamboril (kind of like a fish stew) are both delicious dishes that the monkfish really stars in. Also fab as on an espetada (grilled skewer).