According to bestguide.pt, Portugal has the best fish and shellfish in the
world. So, if you are already mouthwatering about these wonderful delights you
must know what the Portuguese typical dishes are and where to go to taste them.
With a coastline that covers half of its outlines, an endless assortment of
restaurants, a handful of rivers and a vast stretch of ocean and fishing
activities, Portugal doesn´t lack fish and seafood. Fish and seafood live on
two apparent nonsense: it is not food for lazy people and it's consider a
"luxurious" dish.
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| Fisherman at Armação de Pêra |
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| Typical fish market |
As in Portugal the art of good cooking is shaped by the
"preparations" and supermarkets are dictating that for those who cook
more than half of the work is already done, the seafood and what is for so many
people the best fish in the world has of standing up against winds and tides,
so to speak. It is true that the Portuguese have cod as the fish of choice
(which is not even caught in our waters), but the variety and quantity that is
given by our rivers and the delights of the Atlantic should be settled and at a
reasonable price. But they are not...
Moreover… we have the tendency to make the confection uncomplicated. Even
with the foreign advent of sushi restaurants, we do not eat raw fish. We cook
it in many different ways: grilled, fried, boiled, roasted, "dressed"
with butter, a pinch of salt, a few drops of lemon. We do not fill it with
adornments, which is enough to have to catch it, scaly it, unravel it and make
it the perfect fillets leaving out everything that is skeleton and spine. That
after so much work (and even out of respect for the product) we tend not to
complicate the making of the dish. After all, not all the fish have the
generosity of the little "jaquinzinhos" (miniature mackerels) while
eating a whole fish in a single breath.
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| Bacalhau assado (baked codfish) |
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| Bacalhau à brás (crumbled cod with garlic, oil and
eggs) |
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| Cataplana de peixe (fish "cataplana") |
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| Mariscada (seafood) |
Whether it be river or sea fish, going out to eat the delights that the waters give is always an event. Cyclically popular festivals celebrate sardines, but the whole country has many fish and seafood restaurants to choose from. Due to the nature of the obvious need for the absolute freshness of the product that arrives on the plate, the whole restaurant of seafood and fish should be good and of guaranteed quality. They gain their fame through years of immaculate reputation, which allows many to glorify themselves for their shellfish even while away from the sea, or to receive fidelity evidence from the fish eater even though the ocean is out of sight.
It is clear that the favorites (for the Portuguese and, compulsively, for
tourists) are the restaurants where fish and seafood are eaten with a view of
the sea or the waterfront. It is as if the landscape represents a seal of quality.
And then the tradition shows how things may very well continue to be as they
were but with the twist of today's times: the auctions and squares where one
can buy the product from the wise fishmongers, the occasional cane wand on the
head or bucket in the old and new markets, and, above all, the restaurants and
seafood restaurants where time does not pass and cooks as usual, taking care of
seafood and fish, to the 'fashionable' and the taste of the new national chefs
for Portugal's fish and seafood, such as cooking with a personal touch, how to
'turn around' and bring them to the table in a more appealing way.
Then comes the shock of reality, which is when the
"embellishment" is over. Most of the fish and seafood caught in
Portugal is for export. We export half the quantity that we import and what
comes from outside hardly compares in quality to what our waters give. But the
prices are not comparable. For more campaigns that are made to the virtues of
the national seafood and fish, the scenario remains. Of the 200 species we fish
in our exclusive zone, we should not consume more than 15. Some say that the
case has both community laws and a lazy dictatorship of consumer tastes. And we
are at the point where, adoring the fish or revering the shellfish, we stopped
asking about the origin of the species.
But with a modern touch or letting the product speak for itself with a hint
of seasoning, skipping in all our waters or coming free from foreign waters,
there is no lack in Lisbon and its surroundings of quality restaurants for
those who do not cook fish at home nor does he deliver the shellfish to the
laws of steam. See the list of the best fish and seafood restaurants in Lisbon
and Cascais and, for that international touch, take a peek at the suggestions
of the best sushi restaurants.
Restaurants known
for the best fish:
- Restaurante Peixola;
- Restaurante Aqui há
Peixe;
- Restaurante Monte Mar
Lisboa;
- Restaurante O Pescador;
- Restaurante Panorama
Guincho;
- Restaurante Furnas do
Guincho.
Restaurants known
for the best shellfish:
- Cervejaria Ramiro;
- Peixaria da Esquina;
- Ibo Marisqueira;
- Cervejaria Liberdade;
- Luminosa by Furnas;
- Nunes Real Marisqueira;
- Restaurante Marisco na Praça;
- Restaurante Mar do
Inferno;
- Restaurante Eduardo das
Conquilhas;
- Restaurante Nortada;
- Restaurante Búzio.
Restaurants known
for the best sushi:
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