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Named after the 19th-century poet Raimundo António de Bulhão Pato, this simple Portuguese dish combines clams and a flavorful sauce that is based on olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, and fresh cilantro. However, the sauce can also have white wine as one of its ingredients.
Bulhão Pato clams are typically enjoyed as an appetizer and are usually served with bread on the side.
MOST ICONIC Amêijoas à Bulhão Pato
View moreThis classic Portuguese dish is made in the style of Lagareiro, hence the name. Lagareiro refers to a cooking style with numerous varieties, but it usually ends in dressing grilled or roasted fish and seafood with extra virgin olive oil. In this case, octopus is boiled, then cut into pieces, grilled, then brushed with olive oil.
The dish is often additionally dressed with a combination of garlic, corainder, lemon juice, and salt. It is traditionally served with small, roasted potatoes with their skin intact.
MOST ICONIC Polvo à Lagareiro
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Bacalhau com natas is one of the most famous Portuguese dishes made with salted cod. The dish is a combination of soaked or boiled cod topped with diced fried potatoes, generously doused with cream and baked until golden brown in color. Since it is extremely popular, it appears in numerous versions.
The dish often incorporates onions, béchamel sauce instead of cream, cheese, white wine, and a variety of spices. A staple restaurant dish, bacalhau com natas is also an indispensable part of Portuguese Christmas tradition.
MOST ICONIC Bacalhau com natas
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Arroz de marisco is a delicious Portuguese dish consisting of rice and various seafood ingredients. Unlike the popular Spanish paella, this Portuguese variety is not completely reduced and is often described as a thick rice stew. It can employ various seafood ingredients such as prawns, mussels, squid, or clams, and is usually seasoned with fresh herbs and white wine, then complemented with vegetables such as peas or tomatoes.
With the possible origin in Leira, the dish is traditionally associated with coastal areas, and it is one of the most popular seafood dishes in the country.
MOST ICONIC Arroz de marisco
View moreSharing the same name as the frying pan in which they are prepared, cataplana refers to an extensive group of Portuguese dishes that can be prepared with various ingredients such as meat, seafood, rice, or pasta. The pan, as well as the savory dishes, are traditionally associated with Faro, and it is said that every city in the region has its favorite ingredient for the dish.
Originally invented by fishermen, cataplana dishes are today found throughout Portugal. The most famous version of the dish is cataplana de marisco, prepared with a variety of seafood.
MOST ICONIC Cataplana
View moreBacalhau à bras is a simple Portuguese dish consisting of cooked and shredded salt cod, fried potato strips, onions, eggs, and olives. A delicious combination of flavors and textures results in an incredibly satisfying dish that is popular throughout the country.
It is usually garnished with parsley and served hot, while the potatoes are still crispy. Believed to have originated in the Lisbon quarter Bairro Alto, today bacalhau à bras is one of the most famous Portuguese salt cod dishes.
MOST ICONIC Bacalhau à brás
View moreChoco frito is a traditional dish originating from Setúbal, where it's the most famous local specialty. Although one might think that the dish contains chocolate, it actually consists of fried cuttlefish that's typically served with potato chips or fries, salad, and lemon wedges for squeezing the juice onto the choco frito.
The cuttlefish is most commonly boiled with garlic and bay leaves, marinated in lemon juice and wine, then coated in seasoned cornflour before it's fried to crispy perfection. Once prepared, choco frito should be chunky, succulent, and crunchy on the outside.
MOST ICONIC Choco frito
Filetes de polvo is a traditional dish consisting of fried octopus tentacles. The octopus is boiled until tender, and it is then often seasoned with lemon juice and pepper. The tentacles are dipped in eggwash and breadcrumbs, then fried in oil until golden-brown in color.
This delicious dish is sometimes served with rice on the side, and it is then called filetes de polvo com arroz do mesmo.
MOST ICONIC Filetes de polvo
This complex Portuguese dish consists of salt cod fillets that are slowly cooked in milk, then topped with sautéed onions and a crumbly mixture of Portuguese cornmeal bread (broa), garlic, parsley, egg yolks, and olive oil. During baking, the broa mixture keeps the fish moist and succulent and transforms into a crisp golden crust.
The whole combination is usually topped with olives and a drizzle of olive oil. The dish is best served alongside potatoes and a glass of Portuguese red wine.
This simple dish is one of the most common preparations of salt cod in Portugal. It consists of baked or boiled potatoes that are partially crushed and then salted before they are topped with previously soaked cod that has been grilled or baked separately.
The dish is then served doused in olive oil, and it is usually topped with sautéed onions or garlic, red peppers, black olives, or fresh parsley. The origin of the dish is typically associated with the Beira region, but nowadays it is commonly enjoyed throughout the country.
TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. For the “Top 43 Portuguese Seafood Dishes” list until February 14, 2025, 3,046 ratings were recorded, of which 2,089 were recognized by the system as legitimate. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.