A loose, soupy seafood rice cooked in a tomato-and-shellfish broth, layered with prawns, clams, mussels and crab claws, finished with coriander.
Where to eat it: 9 restaurants across 2 cities.
Arroz de marisco came up the Atlantic coast from Aveiro and the Setubal peninsula in the 1960s, hitting Lisbon menus by the 1970s with prawns, clams and crabs drawn from the Tagus estuary. The Lisbon version stays soupier than the Spanish paella tradition, the rice cooked just past al dente in a tomato-saffron-coriander broth, and Solar dos Presuntos's wine-list bible recommends the dish over any other on the menu.
Common allergens: Crustaceans, Molluscs
Tip from the editors. The texture should be soupy, not paella-tight. If it dries before the rice is al dente, add more hot stock half a ladle at a time.
Solar dos Presuntos in Restauradores, Lisbon: a family seafood institution open since 1974, famous for cured ham, Minho cuisine and a celebrity wall.
Signature: Arroz de marisco, Roast kid, Bacalhau a Braz
Order: The plate of presunto first, then arroz de marisco for two.
Cervejaria Ramiro in Lisbon: the canonical late-night seafood hall on Avenida Almirante Reis, last orders 00:30, prego no pao the traditional closer.
Try: Goose barnacles and prego no pao
Cervejaria Liberdade in Lisbon: a polished seafood hall inside the Tivoli Avenida, Berlenga gooseneck barnacles, Algarve prawns and Aveiro oysters daily.
Signature: Gooseneck barnacles, Algarve prawns, Aveiro oysters
Order: Algarve red prawns and a glass of Soalheiro Alvarinho.
Cervejaria Pinoquio on Lisbon's Praca dos Restauradores: a no-fuss Portuguese seafood room serving from morning to late night, clams and arroz de marisco.
Signature: Ameijoas a Bulhao Pato, Arroz de marisco, Tiger prawns
Order: Ameijoas a Bulhao Pato, clams in garlic and coriander.
Cervejaria Gazela in Porto sells two cachorrinhos and an imperial for 7 euros, a stand-up counter snack that has anchored the cheap-eats list for the city.
Try: Cachorrinho with imperial beer
Adega Sao Nicolau in Porto's Ribeira has been pouring red since the 1940s, serving polvo a lagareiro on a small Douro-facing terrace below the quay.
Signature: Polvo a lagareiro, Bacalhau a Gomes de Sa
Order: Polvo a lagareiro: octopus baked with potatoes, garlic and a slug of olive oil.
Tip: Lunch service from noon. The river-side terrace fills first; the inside room is cooler in August.
Tapabento behind Sao Bento station in Porto plates octopus salad, duck rice and grilled tiger prawns in a small, loud, family-run dining room.
Signature: Octopus salad, Duck rice
Order: The octopus salad to start, then the duck rice with chourico.
Tip: Closed Monday and Tuesday. Book the 19:00 sitting if you want a chance of a same-day table.
O Golfinho on Rua de Sa de Noronha in Porto is a small family tasca with a francesinha sauce locals defend, and a 10-table room that fills with regulars.
Signature: Francesinha, Bitoque
Order: Francesinha with egg, glass of red.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday. The bitoque is a quieter alternative for the queue-averse.
Mercado Municipal de Matosinhos just north of Porto is the working fish market for the fleet, with 40 stalls of Atlantic seafood, grilled sardines.
More cities are in research. Want arroz de marisco (portuguese seafood rice) covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.