Today we’re off to sunny Portugal—a country where the ocean meets tradition. We’re cooking two iconic dishes you can’t imagine without Atlantic riches and the fiery heat of African spices.
🦐 Arroz de Marisco
Portugal’s seafood rice is a rich, almost risotto-like dish with shrimp, mussels, and squid in a tomato-wine broth. The rice soaks up the flavors of the ocean, garlic, and cilantro, turning out moist and incredibly fragrant.
Ingredients:
• Large shrimp (peeled) — 300 g
• Mussels (in shells, cleaned) — 300 g
• Squid (rings) — 200 g
• Short-grain rice — 300 g
• Yellow onion — 1 large
• Garlic — 4 cloves
• Canned crushed tomatoes — 400 g
• Dry white wine — 150 ml
• Fish or vegetable broth — 600 ml
• Olive oil — 4 tbsp
• Bay leaves — 2
• Sweet paprika — 1 tsp
• Fresh cilantro — 1 large bunch
• Salt, black pepper — to taste
• Lemon — 1 (for serving)
Instructions:
Step 1. Base prep
Dice the onion into small cubes (3–4 mm per side). Mince the garlic. Heat olive oil in a deep, wide skillet or pot over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for 5–6 minutes, stirring with a wooden spatula, until fully translucent and soft—no golden edges. Add the garlic and fry for another minute. You want a bright garlic aroma, not a burnt one.
Step 2. Tomato base
Add the tomatoes with their juice, crushing them with the spatula right in the pan until chunky. Stir in the paprika and bay leaves. Simmer over medium heat for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce should thicken, reduce by about a third, and turn a deep red-orange.
Step 3. Adding rice and liquid
Pour in the white wine, let it boil, and cook off the alcohol (30–40 seconds of vigorous bubbling). Add the rice and stir so every grain is coated in the tomato mixture. Pour in the hot broth, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 12–15 minutes. The rice should absorb most of the liquid but stay moist, not dry.
Step 4. Adding seafood
Arrange the shrimp, mussels, and squid on top of the rice, gently pressing them in with the spatula. Cover and cook on low heat for another 5–7 minutes. The mussels should open fully (discard any that stay closed), the shrimp turn bright pink and firm, and the squid tender and white.
Step 5. Finishing touches
Remove from heat. Finely chop the cilantro (stems and leaves), add three-quarters to the rice, and gently fold from the bottom up so the seafood distributes evenly. Taste, adjust salt and pepper if needed. Let it rest, covered, for 3–4 minutes. The rice will finish cooking and absorb the flavors.
Step 6. Serving
Transfer to a large serving platter or individual plates. Sprinkle with the remaining cilantro. Serve with lemon wedges and crusty white bread. The rice should be moist, almost creamy, infused with seafood juices.
💡 Fact: Arroz de Marisco is a traditional dish of Portugal’s coastline, especially popular in the Algarve region. It’s often made for family gatherings and served in clay bowls right in the center of the table so everyone can dig in.
🍗 Frango Piri-Piri
The legendary Portuguese grilled chicken marinated in fiery piri-piri peppers, garlic, and lemon—cooked on the grill or in the oven. The skin crisps and caramelizes, the meat stays juicy, with a bold spicy kick and citrus notes.
Ingredients:
• Chicken (whole, split lengthwise, or thighs with drumsticks) — 1.2–1.5 kg
• Fresh red chili peppers (hot) — 4–5
• Garlic — 6 cloves
• Lemon (juice) — 2
• Olive oil — 100 ml
• Sweet paprika — 1 tbsp
• Smoked paprika — 1 tsp
• Dried oregano — 1 tsp
• Coarse sea salt — 1 tbsp
• Freshly ground black pepper — 1 tsp
• White wine vinegar — 2 tbsp
Instructions:
Step 1. Piri-piri marinade
Wash the chilies, remove the stems, slice lengthwise, and deseed (for less heat; leave seeds in for maximum fire). Peel the garlic. In a blender, combine the chilies, garlic, juice of two lemons, olive oil, both paprikas, oregano, salt, black pepper, and vinegar. Blend on high for 1–2 minutes until smooth and bright red, with small flecks—like a thin pesto.
Step 2. Prepping the chicken
Pat the chicken dry with paper towels until completely dry. If using a whole chicken, split it lengthwise along the breastbone and open like a book, lightly pounding with a mallet for even thickness. Make deep cuts (to the bone) on the thighs and drumsticks—3–4 cuts per piece, 1–1.5 cm deep. This lets the marinade penetrate.
Step 3. Marinating
Place the chicken in a large glass or ceramic dish. Pour the piri-piri marinade over it, massaging it (wear gloves!) into every cut, under the skin (gently separate the skin from the meat with your fingers and work the marinade in), and on all sides. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight (up to 24 hours). Flip the chicken at least once during marinating.
Step 4. Prepping for roasting
Take the chicken out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking—it should come to room temperature for even cooking. Preheat the oven to 200°C (convection) or 220°C (conventional). Line a baking sheet with foil, place a rack on top, and lightly oil it. Arrange the chicken skin-side up on the rack so the fat drips down and the skin crisps.
Step 5. Roasting
Bake for 40–50 minutes (for half a chicken) or 30–35 minutes (for thighs with drumsticks). Every 15 minutes, brush with the remaining marinade to deepen the crust. The skin should turn dark golden, almost caramel-brown in spots, with crispy edges. Check doneness: Pierce the thickest part of the thigh—the juice should run clear, no pink, and the internal temperature should be 75°C.
Step 6. Resting and serving
Remove the chicken, loosely cover with foil, and let it rest for 10 minutes. The juices will redistribute, keeping the meat moist when carved. Cut into portions, arrange on a platter, and drizzle with the pan juices. Serve with fries, a fresh salad, and lemon wedges. The skin should crackle, the meat fall off the bone.
Step 7. Grill alternative
If grilling: Cook the chicken over medium heat, starting skin-side down, for 15–20 minutes per side. Brush with marinade and flip regularly to avoid burning. Doneness is the same—clear juices.
💡 Fact: Piri-piri (or pili-pili) is an African chili pepper that the Portuguese brought back from their colonies in Mozambique and Angola in the 15th century. Frango Piri-Piri became a symbol of Portuguese-African culinary fusion and is now one of Portugal’s most recognizable dishes, especially thanks to the global chain Nando’s, which popularized it worldwide.