History

Roast kid is the defining meat of the Minho spring table, reaching its peak at Easter when the youngest animals from mountain farms arrive in Braga. The tradition of serving cabrito at Easter derives from the region's monastic heritage, when the Church's restrictions on meat during Lent broke at Easter with the seasonal roast. Arcoense in the Cividade neighbourhood has served it as its flagship dish since the 1970s, sourcing kid from the same farm families in the Peneda hills each season.

Make it at home

Yield Serves 4 to 6Hands-on 30 minTotal 4 hrDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 1 kid goat leg or shoulder, about 1.5kg (ask the butcher to score the skin)
  • 8 garlic cloves, minced
  • 200ml white wine
  • 100ml olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
  • Salt and black pepper
  • 1kg waxy potatoes, halved
  • 2 onions, cut in wedges

Method

  1. Combine garlic, white wine, olive oil, paprika, oregano, rosemary, chilli, salt and pepper to make the marinade.
  2. Score the skin of the kid in a crosshatch pattern to the bone. Rub the marinade all over and into the cuts. Marinate for at least 4 hours, or overnight in the fridge.
  3. Preheat oven to 160C. Place the kid in a roasting tin with onion wedges and a splash of water.
  4. Roast covered with foil for 2 hours. Uncover, add the potatoes around the meat, and return to the oven.
  5. Raise heat to 200C and roast uncovered for a further 45 minutes until the skin is deeply golden and crisp.
  6. Rest 15 minutes before serving with the roasting juices spooned over.

Tip from the editors. Kid goat needs longer and lower cooking than lamb; rushing the temperature produces tight, dry meat. The overnight marinade is essential for the spices to penetrate.

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 cabrito assado (roast kid)

Cabrito Assado (Roast Kid) in Braga

Arcoense ★ 4.3

Traditional Minho€€MaximinosMon-Sat 12:30-22:30, Sun 12:30-15:00

Founded in the 1970s on the outskirts of Braga, Arcoense built its reputation on certified Bisaro pork, Minho cod and padeiro roast kid. Reservations advised.

Signature: Bacalhau à Braga, Rojões à minhota, Cabrito à padeiro

Order: Certified Bisaro pork rojões with lard-fried potatoes: a thirty-year signature dish worth the taxi fare.

Tip: Six kilometres from the centre. Reservations essential at weekends.

Rua Engenheiro José Justino de Amorim 96, 4715-023 Braga

Restaurante Tia Isabel ★ 4.4

Maximinos

The beloved Sunday restaurant of Braga locals: roast kid, stuffed bacalhau and papas de sarrabulho at honest prices away from the tourist centre.

Try: Papas de sarrabulho and bacalhau recheado

Order: Papas de sarrabulho with bread and a vinho verde at the family table for under €13.

Tip: Sunday lunch fills by 12:30; reserve by phone. Weekday lunch is more relaxed and the same full menu applies, often at slightly faster service.

Avenida Frei Bartolomeu Mártires 32, 4715-385 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

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