Portuguese cooking class

Lagos is famous for its farmers’ and fish markets. And what’s the best Portuguese dish combining fresh seafood with home-grown vegetables? We firmly believe it’s Caldeirada de Peixe, a traditional Portuguese stew with fish, clams, tomatoes, onions, paprika and more. By the way, ‘traditional’ doesn’t mean boring. Our Caldeirada recipe is unique and has a modern twist inspired by trips to Andalusia and Alentejo.

Bacalhau has become an iconic ingredient of many Portuguese dishes since the time of great discoveries of the New World. The only way to preserve fish at that time was drying and salting. The codfish is very suitable for drying, as it is low in oils and fats. Moreover, this preservation process makes the dried and then re-hydrated codfish tastier than the fresh cod.

Roll de Beringela is an eggplant roll with soft cheese, walnuts and cilantro. We use the famous Portuguese requeijão in this recipe – a fresh, not salted, ricotta-like cheese with a delicate flavour.

Suspiros are a traditional Portuguese dessert often served during Christmas and Easter celebrations. We enriched this recipe with almonds, walnuts and dried figs from the Lagos farmers’ market.