Food of the Algarve

Thought this week I’ve first chat about the delicious food I’ve been enjoying. 
The area is renown for its fish and seafood. The market must have 10 different fish mongers to choose from and look at the local grocery store display..this is about half the counter. Lots of choice...
                                                            
                                                             

     
            


 The fishers leave usually late afternoon and return very early in the morning. So early that I have yet to see the huge barrels of Polvo (octopus) hauled in at the tiny village dock of Santa Luzia 3 km from Tavira, which is known as the octopus capital of the world. I walked there a few weeks ago and loved the place, but at 10 am was hours too late to see the catch land. Polvo is found is every restaurant along the waterside there and the whole Algarve coast, cooked in a variety of ways. Must admit I haven’t tried it yet, but my adventuresome buddy Gordon B who landed this week is very keen to have octopus once again, so that gets me off the hook - so to speak. Although octopus are not hooked, narrow necked clay pots are baited and dropped in the sea...the Octopus swim inside looking for a meal but instead become a meal. 
                                                                  
My first batch of fish cakes
Santa Lucia


One of the most popular fish with the Portuguese is salt cod (bacalhau). And it is said there are 365 different salt cod recipes..one for every day of the year.  I only know one and that is fish cakes and I’ve made them twice since I arrived. One negative is the stink of bacalhau and it permeates both the grocery stores and the market. But I haven’t seen salt cod hanging outside any homes here, like I’ve seen in other areas of Portugal. Grateful for small blessings.
      
Chef  cooking up a storm for the lunch crowd and then again
For dinner     


Also My favourite all time Portuguese food is the BBQ piri piri chicken. Not talking fancy restaurants here,  usually a hole in the wall - at least one every few blocks with their churrasqueira sign above the doorway...that and the smell attracts customers ..me in particular and I must admit I am addicted. The average price for a half chicken serving with fries is 3.50 €. And that can do me two meals if I use restraint. So although my daughter Jess is Queen of Swiss Chalet in Clayton Park and I am a frequent customer there...nothing compares with the Portuguese version. Maybe it’s the piri piri hot sauce or the small size of the chicken which keeps them so tender. 

                                              

Also sampled Wild Boar meatballs, which were tasty but a bit bland. Last night Gord and I had Cataplana which is a national Portuguese dish, cooked and served in a copper pot...we choose chicken, shrimp and clams and it was delicious. We took half of it home..for tomorrow’s lunch.
                                                  
Cataplana was delicious and kept hot in the copper
Cooking dish
                                 
Wild boar meatballs
      UPDATE:  at least one baby stork has arrived

Comments

  1. Sue SunderlandFebruary 23, 2020 at 12:37 PM

    Loving hearing the stories! The food looks fab.. and with all that Omega 3 oil from the fishes your brain power must be growning! My.. it's the chicken that sounds most appealing! But it all sounds great. Thanks for sharing...

    ReplyDelete

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