Caldeirada / Portuguese Fish Stew

Caldeirada is a very typical Portuguese dish.  It is similar to the French dish, Bouillabaisse.  It's a type of fish stew cooked with onions, garlic, tomatoes, potatoes, paprika, and of course fish.  I remember the first time I ate this meal...it was at my Mother-in-law's house, back when my husband and I were dating.  This is one of my husband's favourite meals.  I know how much he loves it, so I made it for dinner last night.  I would like to share the recipe with you:

Caldeirada - serves 4

1 large onion
2 large tomatoes
1 green bell pepper OR 1/2 green, 1/2 red bell pepper
4 garlic cloves
12-15 small boiling potatoes (of similar size)
3 tsp coarse salt
3 tsp paprika
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves
1 cup dry white wine
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2-3 pounds assorted fresh fish
fresh seafood (if desired)

First, peel and cut onion into thin slices.  Chop 2 large tomatoes into coarse chunks.  Cut green pepper in half, lengthwise, remove seeds, and slice into thin strips.(You can also use 1/2 green pepper & 1/2 red pepper). Peel and thinly slice garlic cloves.  Set aside.  Peel 12-15 small potatoes, cut in half, and keep submerged in water until ready to use.

The trick to Caldeirada seems to be the importance of layering.  Here's how I do it...

Layer 1 - In a large pot, add half of each (onions, tomatoes, garlic, peppers).  Add 1 tsp coarse salt, 1 tsp paprika powder, and bay leaf.

Layer 2 - Add all of the halved potatoes over the first layer.  Sprinkle with 1 tsp of salt and 1 tsp of paprika powder.

Layer 3 - Over the potatoes, add remaining half of each (onions, tomatoes, garlic, peppers).  Add 1 tsp of coarse salt, 1 tsp of paprika and 1/2 cup of coarsely chopped cilantro leaves.

Next, add 1 cup dry white wine to the layers and fill the rest of the pot with water, just until the potatoes are covered.  (I used 6 cups of water for my large pot).  Add 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil.  Bring the water to a boil, over high heat. 

Let the stew boil for 5 minutes before you add the fish.  This is what it should look like.  Set the heat to medium high.  Now it's time to add the fish...

You can use 2-3 pounds of fresh fish.  I used sea bass, grouper, red snapper, skate fish, and 2 sardines (typical of Portuguese Caldeirada).  This fish was bought fresh and cut at the market.  You must use fresh, frozen just won't give you the same flavour.  I also added some mussels, clams, and a couple of blue crabs. (You don't have to add the seafood if you don't want to).  You can also add shrimp or scallops, if you like. Seafood adds great flavour to the stew. 

Place mussels, clams, and crabs on top of your stew, and then the sliced, assorted fish over top.  Cover the pot with its lid and cook over medium high heat for approximately 20 minutes, or just until potatoes are cooked.  The steam from the sealed pot will cook the fish, without having to immerse it in water.  Be sure to check the potatoes, you wouldn't want them to overcook and break.  It will make a mess in the stew. And of course, don't forget to taste for salt. 

And here is the stew, served on a typical Portuguese plate.  Use a ladle to pour some of the delicious sauce over the fish and make sure you have some fresh, crusty bread for dipping!  Add some chopped cilantro over top and you have a delicious meal! 

ENJOY!!  xoxo

Culinary tour of Cayo Largo

Over a month ago, my husband and I booked an all-inclusive trip to the Caribbean in celebration of our wedding anniversary.  Of course, we took our kids with us because we couldn't possibly enjoy it as much without them.  We also invited my Mom to come along, as she had never traveled anywhere in the Caribbean.  It was a real treat for us and the kids having her share the experience with us.  So, on Monday, June 6th, we flew to our topical destination - Cayo Largo del Sur.  This small, limestone island is part of the Canarreos Archipelago of Cuba.  Cayo Largo is the second largest of approximately 350 islets.  It is only 28 km long and approximately 3 km wide.  There are no permanent residents living here, only workers who stay in a small village while working at the hotels, etc.  They typically work for 20 days and return home for 10 days.  This was the schedule for all the people I spoke with.  The Island is very relaxing.  There is not much to do in terms of shopping, outside dining, or entertainment.  You are pretty much restricted to your hotel, beaches, and some limited excursions.  If you are looking to simply relax and enjoy incredible beaches, then this would be an ideal place for you!

Playa Blanca - beach in front of our hotel

Now since this is a cooking blog, I won't go into too much detail about what we did, but I would like to share with you some of the food and drink we experienced during our week's stay. 

This is a picture of me, on day two, eating a seafood entree at the restaurant located on Sirena Beach.  This was not part of our all-inclusive package. 

The entree included a large lobster tail, 2 grilled shrimp, and a delicious grilled fish as well.  It was absolutely divine!

At our hotel, at every lunch hour, there were offerings of grilled chicken, pork, and fresh fish for patrons.  I enjoyed this fish and rice with a glass of white wine.  If fish is not your fancy, there are also grilled hamburgers, hot dogs, personal pizzas, as well as pasta, and other buffet items. 

And this here, is one of the most famous Cuban cocktails -  a Mojito.  It was made by a bartender named Mathew at the Paraiso beach bar.  It contains sugar, mint leaves, lime juice, club soda, and of course, Cuban rum.  He also added a couple of drops of something called "angostura", typically used for flavoring drinks.  It was the BEST mojito I ever had!

Nuno and I went on a special sunset cruise on the day of our anniversary.  This gigantic skillet was filled with over one dozen large lobster tails for the guests.  I took this shot while sneaking into the boat's galley, when no one was looking!  The smell of the lobster and rice cooking was unforgettable!  We waited for our food to be served while we watched the sun set.  It was very romantic!

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Looking back, I wish I had taken more pics of the food.  But then again, I didn't always want to carry my camera with me to lunches and dinners.  After all, I was on vacation.  I hope you enjoyed the images of what I did capture.  We had such a wonderful, relaxing week in beautiful Cayo Largo.  It is nice to be home again after being spoiled for an entire week.  Although it was nice to get a break from cooking meals, I really miss  cooking!  I do hope you enjoyed this post.  Your comments are so welcome and appreciated.  Have a wonderful day! xo

A Taste of Portugal

As some of you may already know, I was born on the Island of Sao Miguel, the largest Island in the Portuguese Azores Archipelago. I came to Canada with my parents at sixteen months of age, as my parents were looking for a better life and a good place to work and raise a family.  Six years later, at the age of seven, I became a Canadian Citizen, along with my parents.  I have been back to Sao Miguel and Portugal several times in my life.  Although I feel more Canadian than Portuguese, Sao Miguel holds a special place in my heart.  It is where my roots are, my family, my history, it all began there.  And with that, comes my love for traditional Portuguese food.  At our house, on our table, the influence is always there, in the ingredients, the spices, even the tableware.
Fish is eaten regularly in Portugal and among the most popular is bacalhau (cod fish).  In Portugal, cod is always sold dry and salted. This is how they keep the fish fresh without needing refrigeration. We can find the same dry, salted fish here in many supermarkets. I would like to share with you my recipe for a typical Portuguese dish I made last week, while my Mom was staying with us. 

Bacalhau a Gomes de Sa (serves 4-6)

2 pounds deboned salt-cod (soaked in water for 24-36 hrs prior, making sure to change the water 3-4 times)
8 medium potatoes, peeled, sliced 1/4 inch thick
4 eggs
2 large onions, sliced thinly
3 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 extra virgin olive oil (divided)
black olives, pitted
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
salt to taste


First cook cod in a large pot of boiling water for 8-10 minutes.  Allow to cool and flake into small pieces.  While cod is cooling, you can boil potatoes (1/4 inch thickness) and eggs in a separate pot.

 

Boil potatoes

 Flaked cod

Once cooked, drain water from the potatoes.  Set aside.  Peel hard-boiled eggs and slice for garnish.  Set aside. 

 Pour 1/4 cup of olive oil into large skillet.  Saute onions and garlic until golden, over medium heat. 

In a large baking dish, brush bottom with olive oil.  Add half of your potatoes, half the cod fish, half the onions, potatoes again, cod again, and top with onions.  Drizzle the leftover half cup of olive oil over the entire dish. ( I also sprinkle a little salt over the potatoes, after each layer)

 

 Cover baking dish with aluminum foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.  Remove.  Decorate with sliced eggs, black olives, and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

And here you have it, Bacalhau a Gomes de Sa.  I hope you can try my recipe some day and tell me what you think!  Thank you for visiting my kitchen! Have a wonderful day!