The best seafood in Lisbon is some of the best anywhere. While the country's beloved cod comes to Lisbon preserved in salt, it's still as essential as, say, tuna or clams caught just off shore. The shellfish and octopus from the south of the country are some of the world's best.
Lisbon isn't known as the Queen of the Sea for nothing; the abundant Portuguese coastline means there's no shortage of market-fresh seafood, from garlic-drenched scallops to creamy lobster bisque.
Lisbon is famous for its delicious seafood. Because the city is nestled along the Atlantic coastline, its fishermen have access to a wide variety of fresh fish and shellfish. Travelers can enjoy traditional grilled sardines, caldeirada (a fish stew), and arroz de marisco (seafood rice) throughout the city.
Bacalhau is cod that has been preserved by being salt-dried, and it's Portugal's national dish.
Species like the sardine, Atlantic mackerel, tuna, and the European hake are important for the Portuguese commercial capture fisheries. Other, widely used species in Portuguese cuisine is the cod, known in Portugal as bacalhau.
The meal's components may include some combination of anchovies, whiting, lobster, sardines, baccalà (dried salt cod), smelts, eels, squid, octopus, shrimp, mussels and clams.
Some of the most famous Portuguese dishes include piri piri chicken, francesinha, bacalhau, and pastel de nata. Portugal is also quite famous for its wines.
Licor Beirão
Simply known as Beirão, this national drink of Portugal is one you don't want to miss! Possibly the most popular Portuguese liqueur on the market, this drink originated in the Beiras region and is an excellent option for those with a sweet tooth.
Bacalhau, which translates to cod in English, is Portugal's national dish, a symbol of the country's identity, and one of the most popular foods in restaurants across the country. Bacalhau is such a go-to staple in Portuguese cuisine that it even has an endearing nickname: fiel amigo, or faithful friend.
Lobsters, shrimps, crayfish, Bulhão Pato style' clams, mussels, stuffed spider and red rock crabs are the most requested, the most appreciated, and the best known.
One of the best features of Portugal is that water is so much a part of the geography. There are a lot of fantastic fish that come right out of the sea, lakes, and rivers and make their way to dinner tables. Grouper, golden bream, sea bass, sole, mackerel, red mullet, and bluefish, are just the beginning.
It all started with the Vikings…
The consumption of salted cod quickly spread throughout Portugal due to its low cost and easy transportation. At the turn of the 15th century, the Portuguese became pioneers in setting up large ships for cod fishing.
Azores: Giant sunfish recorded as world's heaviest bony fish
The gigantic creature attracted great interest from scientists who examined it thoroughly to determine all of its rare characteristics.
Portuguese percebes (or perceves) or English goose barnacles are exquisite looking, rare and expensive seafood found in Portugal.
Did you say “Salmon”? Yes, Salmon is on the menu in Portugal. Atlantic Salmon, aka Iberian Salmon, make the lives of fly fishermen interesting and can be easily transformed into a beautiful meal. The Salmon season, similar to the Trout season, is from March until late July.
Ginjinha is served in a shot form with a piece of the fruit in the bottom of the cup. It is a favourite liqueur of many Portuguese and a typical drink in Lisbon, Alcobaça, Óbidos, Marvão, Covilhã and Algarve.
Trying ginjinha in Lisbon is a travel must. Also known as ginja, this is a sweet liqueur made from Morello (sour) cherries soaked in a distilled spirit called aguardente.
If you have been to Lisbon, you have certainly come across ginja, also known as ginjinha. This sour cherry liqueur is a tourist favorite but has sweetened locals' palates for a long time too.
The most common items you'll find in a Portuguese breakfast are: bread, sliced cheese, sliced ham, bread, jam, and a milky coffee. Sometimes it's just toast without the ham and cheese, but the common denominators are almost always bread and a milky coffee like a galão or a meia de leite.
1. Pastel de nata (custard tart) Even if you know next to nothing about the cuisine of Portugal, you're likely familiar with the country's most famous dessert, a tiny and decadent Portuguese egg tart that some might say is the most satisfying wallop of sweet, sweet wow you'll ever get for €1.15.
Portuguese dishes include meats (pork, beef, poultry mainly also game and others), seafood (fish, crustaceans such as lobster, crab, shrimps, prawns, octopus, and molluscs such as scallops, clams and barnacles), vegetables and legumes and desserts (cakes being the most numerous).
You can find many types of tuna like Yellowfin, Albacore, Bigeye, Skipjack, and the crown jewel Bluefin tuna. Other fish to be found in the Portugal oceans are Swordfish, Seabream, Common Pandora, Mackerel, and Seabass.
The golden redfish has more of an orange tinge to the skin. The colour is graded, but changes sharply into a white stomach. The deepwater redfish has a more solid red colour with a smoother transition to a white stomach. The golden redfish can grow up to 100 cm in length but will normally be around 40 to 55 cm long.
Discovered in abundance along the coast by the Romans, who first settled in Lisbon in 19 BC, this oily fish quickly became a delicious staple of the Atlantic diet. A healthy source of protein and minerals, it is not surprising that centuries later the Portuguese still enjoy sardines in a variety of forms.