A Açorda de Marisco é um dos pratos mais emblemáticos e reconfortantes da cozinha portuguesa, uma celebração de engenho e sabor que transforma pão duro e marisco numa refeição rica e aveludada. Com raízes na tradição alentejana, esta receita espalhou-se por toda a costa, ganhando novas texturas e sabores. É um prato que sabe a mar e a casa, perfeito para partilhar em boa companhia.

Ingredientes (4 Pessoas)

  • 1 embalagem de preparado de marisco
  • 0,5 dl de azeite
  • 1 kg de pão de alentejano
  • 2 dentes de alho
  • 150 gr de tomate pelado e picado
  • 1 raminho de coentros
  • 2 gemas
  • sal
  • pimenta

Preparação

  1. Do preparado de marisco escolha os camarões com casca e coza-os em água temperada com sal.
  2. Escorra-os e reserve o caldo.
  3. Do preparado de marisco escolha as amêijoas com casca.
  4. Lave-as bem e leve-as ao lume numa frigideira com um pouco do azeite.
  5. Tape a frigideira e deixe cozinhar até que as conchas abram.
  6. Coe o caldo que ficou na frigideira e reserve-o.
  7. Corte o pão aos pedaços e amoleça-os com os caldos que reservou (caldo da cozedura do camarão e caldo das amêijoas).
  8. De seguida, pique os alhos para um tacho e aloure-os no restante azeite.
  9. Junte o tomate, o pão espremido, o preparado de marisco (à exceção dos camarões e das amêijoas que já cozinhou) e um pouco de coentros picados.
  10. Retifique o sal e tempere com pimenta.
  11. À parte, bata as gemas e misture-as na açorda.
  12. Sirva-a com os camarões e as amêijoas que reservou e decore com os restantes coentros.

Nota: Caso os caldos das amêijoas e dos camarões não sejam suficientes para amolecer o pão, ferva 0,5 dl de água com um caldo de marisco e um caldo de peixe e deite sobre o pão.

Ready to dive into one of Portugal’s most iconic seafood dishes? Here’s the English version below.

Seafood Açorda (Portuguese Seafood & Bread Stew)

Açorda is a classic Portuguese dish that beautifully showcases the country’s resourcefulness and love for robust flavours. At its heart, it’s a humble bread porridge or stew, born from the tradition of using up stale bread . This version, Açorda de Marisco, elevates the simple concept into a spectacular seafood feast. Originating in the south of Portugal, it has become a beloved staple in coastal towns, celebrated for its comforting texture and deep, savoury taste .

The magic of this dish lies in its unique texture, often compared to a creamy risotto, but achieved entirely without rice . Stale, rustic bread is soaked in a rich, flavourful broth made from the seafood itself, and then beaten with garlic, olive oil, and fresh coriander until it breaks down into a luscious, savoury porridge . The final, crucial touch is stirring in a raw egg yolk just before serving, which adds an incredible creaminess and richness to the finished dish .

This is more than just a soup; it’s a hearty, satisfying one-pot meal that is both rustic and incredibly sophisticated. The key to a great açorda is the quality of the bread—a dense, country-style loaf is best—and the flavour of the broth, which should be intensely savoury from the cooked shellfish .

Ingredients (Serves 4)

  • 1 mixed seafood pack (approx. 500-750g), containing shrimp, clams, mussels, etc.
  • 50ml olive oil
  • 1kg stale rustic bread (like Alentejo bread or a good sourdough) [2]
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 150g chopped peeled tomatoes
  • 1 bunch of fresh coriander
  • 2 egg yolks
  • Salt, to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method

  1. From your seafood mix, select the shell-on shrimp. Cook them in a pot of lightly salted water. Drain the shrimp, setting them aside, and be sure to reserve the flavourful cooking broth.
  2. Next, select the shell-on clams from the mix. Wash them well.
  3. Heat a little of the olive oil in a frying pan, add the clams, cover, and cook until the shells open.
  4. Strain and reserve the liquid that the clams released.
  5. Cut the stale bread into chunks and place them in a large bowl. Moisten the bread with the reserved shrimp and clam broths. Let it soak until soft.
  6. Mince the garlic cloves. In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, gently sauté the garlic in the remaining olive oil until fragrant.
  7. Add the chopped tomato and the squeezed-out bread. Add the rest of the seafood from the mixed pack (except for the shrimp and clams you already cooked) and a little chopped coriander.
  8. Stir everything together over the heat, breaking up the bread with a wooden spoon until it forms a thick, porridge-like consistency [9]. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  9. In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg yolks. Remove the açorda from the heat and quickly stir in the beaten yolks to make it creamy.
  10. Serve immediately, topped with the reserved cooked shrimp and clams, and garnished with the remaining fresh coriander.

Note: If the reserved seafood broths are not enough to soften the bread, you can make more by dissolving a fish or seafood stock cube in some boiling water and adding it to the bread.