Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Feijoada de Marisco (seafood with white beans)



The first time I heard of this plate I was a bit suspicious, mainly due to the fact that the typical portuguese feijoada is not made with seafood and because some how it didn't seem like the right combination... But I've tried it in a nice restaurant in Viana do Castelo (Portugal) and since then that I tried to figure out the recipe :) Next, I present the best I got until now!

You will need (for 2-3 persons):

  • Seafood q.b. (Just choose the kinds you like the most). I use: 150 gr of unpeeled shrimps + a few mussels + 150gr of a seafood mixture (which also contains some shrimps and mussels, but also squid and small clams)
  • Crab sticks q.b.
  • 250-300gr white baked beans
  • olive oil (2 tablespoons)
  • 2 Laurel leaves
  • salt and water q.b.
And finely chopped:
  • 2 tomatoes
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • a small onion
  • 1 carrot
Now, the preparation:

  1. Heat the olive oil, add the onion and the garlic and stir. Leave it for one minute or so, until the onion is becoming golden brown.
  2. At this point, add the carrots, the tomatoes and the Laurel leaves and let it cook (in medium fire) for 2-3min.
  3. Add the seafod (except the crab sticks) and let it cook until the squid is done (add water if necessary).
  4. Then, add the white beans and water (+- 100ml). Add salt (and pepper if you like) and let it cook until the beans are very tender (20-30min), adding water if needed. Before turning off the heat just add the crab sticks chopped in cubes. In the end it should be quite moist (like a stew). The sauce is particularly important if you decide to eat it with white rice, as most portuguese people do.

Labels: ,