For the latest stage of life's great pageant, I have moved to Lisbon, Portugal for the next six months. While I am delighted to be in a land of pastries and sunshine, most of all I am excited to dig into the hazy world of this seafood-driven nation, and see where its strengths and weaknesses lie in the local marine cuisine. With the vast quantity of fish that's available and eaten regularly here, I hope I can provide an interpretive guide for both travelers and locals to help them make better seafood choices.
"Sardines" by Kaily Koutsogiannis
PORTUGUESE SEAFOOD
When you think of Portuguese food, you probably immediately think of plates and plates of steaming, tasty fish. Heaps of salted COD (bacalhau) next to lovely canned sardines (sardinhas) with a side of pot-caught octopus (polvo,) and bounties of giant prawns (camarao). "Plenty" of fish.
But where does all this fish come from? Is it locally caught? And what sort of fishing methods are being used off the coast of Portugal?
Continuing my Best Fish Forward journey in 2018, I hope to answer all these questions and more during the next few months. Looking forward to it!