Preserved Seafood in Portugal: A Taste of the Ocean 🐟🇵🇹🥫

Portugal is famous for its preserved seafood, a beloved tradition that dates back centuries! Along the coast, you’ll find an array of conservas – tins packed with flavours straight from the ocean. 🏝️🌊 These small treasures capture the essence of Portuguese cuisine, preserving the freshest catches in olive oil, herbs, and spices. 🍋🧄 Sardines are the true stars of Portuguese conservas! 🐟✨ Caught fresh from the Atlantic, they are carefully packed in tins with olive oil, tomato sauce, or spicy piri-piri 🌶️. Often, they are infused with garlic or herbs, giving them an aromatic kick. Their tender, flaky texture and rich flavour make them perfect for spreading on crusty bread or adding to salads. 🥖🥗 Octopus 🐙 and squid 🦑 are also favourites, preserved in olive oil with garlic and spices. Sometimes, you’ll even find them marinated in their own ink, offering a briny, deep sea taste in every bite! The tender, slightly chewy texture brings a little bit of the ocean to your plate. 🌊🍽️ Let’s not forget the legendary bacalhau (salted cod)! 🐟✨ Although not typically canned, it’s preserved through salting and drying – a method that dates back to Portugal’s fishing roots. Before cooking, it’s soaked to bring back its delicate, flaky quality, perfect for classic dishes like bacalhau à brás. 🧄🥔 Mackerel 🐟, preserved in olive oil or spicy marinades, is another Portuguese delight! Its rich, oily flesh is enhanced through the canning process, creating a savoury, indulgent flavour that pairs beautifully with fresh bread, olives, and a splash of lemon. 🍋🥖🫒 Visiting a conservas shop in Portugal is an experience of its own! 🎨🛍️ Rows of beautifully designed tins line the shelves, each one holding a bite of Portugal’s vibrant coastal life. From sardines to mackerel, every tin is a little piece of the sea, packed with love and tradition, ready to be enjoyed anytime, anywhere. 🌅🍽️🌸 #100waysoftravel #portugal #faro