Cervejaria do Carmo ★ 4.0
Cervejaria do Carmo on Rua do Carmo in Porto pours a working-class house lager, sells imperials all day and runs the city's most enduring seafood petiscos.
History
Salt cod arrived through the working port of Porto in volume from 1850, and the Portuguese repertoire of bacalhau preparations grew through the late 19th century. Bolinhos de bacalhau (also called pasteis de bacalhau in southern Portugal) emerged from the working-class need to stretch leftover salt cod with potato and onion. The croquettes are still made at home for Christmas and served daily at every cervejaria in Porto.
Common allergens: Fish, Egg, Gluten
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 300g salt cod, soaked for 24 hours with three water changes
- 400g floury potatoes, peeled
- 1 large onion, finely diced
- 3 eggs, beaten
- Handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- Black pepper
- Vegetable oil for deep-frying
Method
- Boil salt cod 8 minutes until cooked. Drain, cool, shred into fine flakes, removing skin and bones.
- Boil potatoes 25 minutes until soft. Drain and mash dry, no butter or milk.
- Fry onion in a little olive oil over low heat for 15 minutes until soft and translucent. Cool.
- Combine cod, potato, onion, beaten eggs, parsley and black pepper in a bowl. Mix until just combined.
- Shape into rugby-ball quenelles with two soup spoons.
- Deep-fry in oil at 180C in batches for 3 minutes per side until golden. Drain on paper. Serve hot with a wedge of lemon.
Tip from the editors. The mix should be just stiff enough to shape between two spoons; too dry and the croquettes crack, too wet and they fall apart in the oil.
Where to eat bolinhos de bacalhau
Bolinhos de bacalhau in Porto
Brasao Aliados ★ 4.2
Brasao Aliados in Porto opened in 2014 as the first Brasao Cervejaria, with the city's most-Instagrammed francesinha and a black-garlic mayo for rissoles.
Signature: Francesinha, Meat rissoles with mushrooms
Order: Francesinha with the egg on top, croquette flight to share.
Tip: Open daily. Queues from 12:30-14:00; book ahead or arrive at noon.
Adega Sao Nicolau ★ 4.3
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.
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