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: 4 restaurants across 1 city.
Arroz de marisco came up the Atlantic coast from Aveiro and the Setubal peninsula in the 1960s, hitting Lisbon menus by the 1970s. The Lisbon version stays soupier than the Spanish paella tradition, 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.
This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.
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.
More cities are in research. Want arroz de marisco covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.