History

Arroz de pato is one of the great rice dishes of the Portuguese table, and Braga's version at Casa de Pasto das Carvalheiras is the benchmark preparation in the city. The dish requires a whole duck braised for several hours, a step that most restaurants skip in favour of duck confit; the Carvalheiras kitchen makes it from scratch on a rotating weekly basis. The combination of long-braised duck, salty chourico and egg-glazed rice crust is a product of the Minho farmhouse tradition of using the Sunday duck for multiple meals.

Common allergens: Egg

Make it at home

Yield Serves 4 to 6Hands-on 45 minTotal 4 hrDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 1 whole duck, about 2kg
  • 1 onion, halved
  • 2 carrots, roughly chopped
  • 2 celery sticks
  • 4 bay leaves
  • Salt and black pepper
  • 400g long-grain white rice
  • 200g chourico, sliced into thin rounds
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • Olive oil

Method

  1. Put the duck in a large pot with onion, carrot, celery, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Cover with water and simmer for 2 to 2.5 hours until the duck is very tender.
  2. Lift out the duck and reserve the broth. When cool enough to handle, remove all meat from the bones and shred finely.
  3. Measure 900ml of the duck broth. Bring to a boil, add the rice and cook until just al dente, about 12 minutes. The rice should be slightly undercooked.
  4. Mix the shredded duck into the rice. Season with salt and pepper.
  5. Preheat oven to 200C. Tip the duck-rice into a large oiled baking dish and smooth the surface.
  6. Lay the chourico slices over the surface in overlapping rows. Brush the beaten egg over the exposed rice.
  7. Bake for 20 minutes until the top is golden and crisped. Rest 5 minutes before serving.

Tip from the editors. Use the duck braising broth to cook the rice; it carries all the fat and gelatin that gives the dish its depth. Plain water produces a flat, one-dimensional result.

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.

Where to eat arroz de pato

Arroz de Pato in Braga

Casa de Pasto das Carvalheiras ★ 4.2

Centro Historico

The Wednesday Pasto Livre unlimited menu at €20 per person covers duck rice, cod and starters: Braga's best value fixed-price meal in the historic quarter.

Try: Arroz de pato (duck and chorizo baked rice)

Order: Wednesday Pasto Livre at €20 with a carafe of vinho verde for the full communal spread.

Tip: Wednesday Pasto Livre (noon to 15:00) is the best-value time. Reserve by phone; the unlimited duck rice selection sells out early most Wednesdays.

Rua D. Afonso Henriques 8, 4700-030 Braga

Cruz Sobral ★ 4.4

Centro Historico

Operating since 1926 and run by the Cruz Sobral family's third and fourth generations. The kitchen in Campo das Hortas slow-cooks everything.

Why locals love it: Hidden behind a gate in Campo das Carvalheiras without signage, run by the same family since 1926, with no social media presence.

Tip: No reservation system: arrive at noon and wait for a table with the regulars. Sunday lunch 12:00-15:30 only. Cash preferred.

Campo das Hortas 7-8, 4700-210 Braga

More cities are in research. Want arroz de pato covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.

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