14 Portuguese recipes

Tuck into your Portuguese food and escape to Portugal virtually with our foodie road trip in Alentejo. Now discover 10 things we love about the food from the Algarve and discover our favourite foodie trips in Portugal.

Not spotted your favourite Portuguese dish? Do you know an awesome Portuguese chef or food writer that you’d like to see featured here? Email us or contact us on social media at @olivemagazine to let us know!

Easy Portuguese recipes

Chunky cod fritters with aïoli

Pastéis de bacalhau are served everywhere in Portugal, from cafés to restaurants and school canteens. This version comes from London's TĀ TĀ Eatery and can be made in advance and frozen, so they're ready for a snack or unexpected guests.

Bacalhau à brás

Bring Portuguese flavours to the table with this bacalhau à brás, a dish made from salted cod, black olives, sliced onions and egg. This recipe comes from Joia at Art’otel in London’s Battersea Power Station.

Portuguese halibut com piri-piri

This hearty fish recipe, a cherished favourite on the menu at Lisboeta, Nuno Mendes' tribute to his hometown of Lisbon, is a delightful dish for sharing. The restaurant traditionally serves it with batatas a murro: 'punched' potatoes, caramelised onions, fresh parsley and a drizzle of olive oil. For ease we recommend pairing it with sautéed potatoes at home.

Bacalhau fritters

Salt cod is transformed into the traditional Portuguese sharing snack with saffron, potatoes and lemon, best enjoyed with an ice-cold beer or crisp wine.

Peri peri chicken traybake

Chicken is flavoured with a peri peri marinade in this simple but effective traybake.

Portuguese custard tarts

Make Portuguese custard tarts or "pastéis de nata" with step-by-step help from the olive test kitchen. Dusting the pastry with icing sugar gives the tarts a golden, caramelised crust when cooked.

Portuguese seafood rice

A celebration of all things seafood, this colourful rice dish calls for plenty of paprika, garlic, mussels, king prawns and oregano. It's by Sabrina Ghayour and is inspired by her travels to Porto.

Portuguese-style fish stew (caldeirada de peixe)

This seafood stew contains a mixture of squid, prawns, clams and mussels. It is a low-calorie recipe and makes several portions, perfect for the whole family to enjoy.

Febras assadas (barbecued pork) on chips with lemon and mayo

A Portuguese-style recipe for the BBQ. Pork loin is marinated in wine and smoked paprika before getting the grill treatment. Serve over thick-cut chips to soak up all those lovely juices.

Fish fofos

These fish croquettes are based on the Portuguese fofos de bacalhau, made using salt cod. Goans have adapted this using boneless fish, potatoes, ground spices and chilli.

Prego sandwich with green piri-piri

Check out our vibrant and punchy Portuguese-style prego sandwich. This simple recipe is served all over Portugal – the green piri-piri, although not traditional, gives a massive flavour boost.

Grilled sardines

Check out these sweet and peppery crispy sardines, ready in 20 minutes. These are great on a griddle, but will also work really well on the BBQ. Serve with a big green salad and lots of crusty bread.

Piri-piri chicken and winter slaw

Create your own Portuguese-style chicken, chips and slaw at home. Tip all of the spicy roasting tin juices into a bowl to serve alongside.

Spring onion and prawn empanadas

Empanadas are dough turnovers which originated in Portugal and are now also popular in many Latin American countries. Try these light prawn versions for a quick snack or starter.