I can’t tell you enough how sweet life in Portugal is, we made the right decision to move here, not that I ever doubted it. Ash and I met met in London, a year later we moved to Paris which neither of us loved and we couldn’t project ourselves living there with a family. One year and half ago we moved to Lisbon, and I am not sure which other city can beat it in terms of energy, safety, quality of life, beauty.
And obviously one of the highlights of moving somewhere is immersing yourself into a new culture and for me it all happens through food. I love the stories and tradition behind each dish and thanks to them I find out little snippets of history I would not have known about otherwise. I’ve said it before and will say it again, food is the greatest connector of all.
Although Portuguese gastronomy is definitely not what drew us here, I have been pleasantly surprised. If I had to describe it in three words I would say, simple, seasonal and regional. As we all know, it all starts with great produce and they have that in buckets. Portugal had one of the strongest navies in the world at some point and their discovery travels helped introduce exotic flavours in its cuisine. Think piri piri (small, fiery chili peppers), saffron, paprika, allspice, cumin, cinnamon and much to my delight coriander is the national aromatic herb. I know it’s the herb that divides people, in my eyes it transforms a dish.
This brings me on to my recipe this week, arroz de marisco also know as Portuguese seafood rice. One of my favourite Portuguese dishes, especially during these colder months. A celebration of all things seafood, this dish calls for plenty of paprika, seafood and coriander!
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Portuguese seafood rice
For 6 people
Cooking time: 30 mins
Ingredients
1kg total of mixed seafood, can be prawns, mussels, clams, crab, fish etc. (nothing wrong with frozen my friends, just make sure it’s defrosted properly)
350g risotto rice
1 large onion, finely choppe
2 sticks of celery, finely chopped
6 cloves of garlic, minced
4 tomatoes, cored and roughly chopped
400g tin of chopped tomatoes
A big handful of fresh coriander, chopped
1.5 litres fish or seafood stock
100ml olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Lemon wedges for serving
A bunch of fresh coriander, roughly chopped with stalks
Half a bunch of fresh origano, chopped
1 tbsp of Paprika (not smoked)
½ tsp dried chilli flakes
A pinch of sugar
Instructions:
Prepare Seafood. Clean and prepare the seafood. If you're using mussels and clams, make sure they are scrubbed and debearded.
Sauté Vegetables. Cook the onion and celery in the oil in a casserole over a medium-high heat until softened. Add the garlic, and cook until the garlic is translucent. Stir in the paprika, chilli flakes, fresh tomatoes and a generous amount of seasoning. Add the tinned tomatoes, stock and sugar then stir and cover with a lid and allow to gently simmer for 45 minutes.
Add Rice. Next add the rice, stir once and leave to cook for 15 minutes with the lid on. Adjust the seasoning, then add the mussels and crab legs (if using), stir well and cover with a lid again. Cook for 10 minutes or until all of the mussels have opened (discard any that haven’t). Don’t be afraid to add a little water if it seems a little dry, then add the prawns, clams or fish. Cook for 2 minutes with a lid on and then stir in the chopped oregano, coriander and serve in shallow bowls.
Enjoy with a slice of buttered bread.
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Recommendation of the week - Cervejaria Ramiro
Seeing as we are on the topic of Portugal and seafood, it would be a sin not to talk about Cervejaria Ramiro in Lisbon. There is nothing secret about this place, and as much I didn’t want to like it because it feels like a bit of a factory/ tourist trap, they do serve the best seafood in town. Forget about the awful waiting pen, and just enjoy getting your hands dirty. Although seafood is king here, leave some space for their ‘desert’ prego sandwhich.
Enjoy the weekend x