Chef Margarida
Carne de Porco à Alentejana
The dish where Alentejo's famous black pigs meet the Atlantic's clams, bound together by paprika, wine, and the genius of grandmothers who knew that land and sea were never meant to stay apart.
Culinary Explorer
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Açorda de Camarão
Created by
The peasant bread soup of Alentejo dressed for company, sweet pink prawns swimming in a broth of garlic, coentros, and golden azeite. Humble origins, elegant result. This is who we are.
Main Dishes
Portuguese, Alentejo
Dinner Party
Comfort Food
25 min
Active Time
30 min cook•55 min total
Yield4 servings
Açorda is peasant genius. Stale bread, garlic, olive oil, an egg if you're lucky. Survival food that somehow tastes like comfort. When you add sweet pink prawns to this ancient foundation, you get something magical: the humblest dish in the Portuguese canon elevated without losing its soul.
I first had açorda de camarão at a tiny tasca in Setúbal, the kind of place with paper tablecloths and wine from a barrel. The owner was a woman in her seventies who cooked everything herself. She made the stock from the shrimp shells while we waited, and when she brought the bowl to the table, steam rising, the smell of garlic and the sea filling the room, I understood something. This is what happens when you take a simple thing and do it perfectly.
Avó Leonor made açorda with just eggs, being too far from the coast. But she taught me the principle that makes this dish work: the bread must be day-old, the garlic must be generous, and the olive oil must be your best. The prawns are guests at this party. They're welcome, they elevate the occasion, but they don't change what the dish fundamentally is.
At Mesa da Avó, I serve this when I want to show people that Portuguese food can be both humble and sophisticated. The same bowl holds peasant roots and dinner party elegance. That's the Portuguese way. We don't abandon our origins when we dress up. We bring them with us.
Açorda's roots trace to medieval Alentejo, where bread was too precious to waste and garlic grew wild in the fields. The addition of seafood came from coastal towns like Setúbal and Sesimbra, where fishermen's wives adapted the landlocked recipe to use the day's catch. Shrimp açorda became a celebration dish, the humble soup transformed by sweet prawns into something worth gathering around.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
medium-large prawns
Quantity
500g
shell-on
water
Quantity
1 liter
bay leaf
Quantity
1
garlic cloves
Quantity
6
smashed
extra virgin olive oil (azeite)
Quantity
1/2 cup, plus more for finishing
onion
Quantity
1 medium
finely chopped
sweet paprika (pimentão doce)
Quantity
1 teaspoon
dry white wine
Quantity
1/2 cup
sea salt
Quantity
1 teaspoon, plus more to taste
day-old crusty bread
Quantity
300g
torn into rough chunks
eggs
Quantity
4 large
fresh cilantro (coentros)
Quantity
1 large bunch
roughly chopped
black pepper
Quantity
freshly ground, to taste
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| medium-large prawnsshell-on | 500g |
| water | 1 liter |
| bay leaf | 1 |
| garlic clovessmashed | 6 |
| extra virgin olive oil (azeite) | 1/2 cup, plus more for finishing |
| onionfinely chopped | 1 medium |
| sweet paprika (pimentão doce) | 1 teaspoon |
| dry white wine | 1/2 cup |
| sea salt | 1 teaspoon, plus more to taste |
| day-old crusty breadtorn into rough chunks | 300g |
| eggs | 4 large |
| fresh cilantro (coentros)roughly chopped | 1 large bunch |
| black pepper | freshly ground, to taste |
Equipment Needed
- •Wide heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven
- •Fine mesh strainer
- •Deep serving bowls, preferably terracotta
Instructions
- 1
Peel and prepare the prawns
Peel the prawns, keeping the shells and heads. Set the prawns aside in the refrigerator. Don't throw away anything. Those shells are gold. They hold all the sweetness, all the flavor of the sea. This is the secret that separates a good açorda de camarão from a great one.
- 2
Make the shrimp stock
In a pot, combine the prawn shells and heads with the water and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer for 20 minutes. The liquid should turn a beautiful coral pink and smell of the ocean. Strain through a fine sieve, pressing on the shells to extract every drop of flavor. Discard the shells. You should have about 800ml of stock.
If your fishmonger sells extra prawn heads and shells, buy them. More shells means richer stock. Peasant cooking wastes nothing. - 3
Build the refogado
In a wide, heavy pot, warm the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden, about 10 minutes. Add the smashed garlic and cook for another 2 minutes until fragrant. The kitchen should smell like every Portuguese grandmother's house. Add the paprika and stir for 30 seconds, just until the oil turns a deep orange.
Não tenhas pressa. Don't rush. The onion and garlic cooked slowly in azeite is the soul of this dish. Everything else builds on this foundation. - 4
Add wine and stock
Pour in the white wine and let it bubble for a minute, scraping up any bits from the bottom. Add the shrimp stock and the salt. Bring to a gentle simmer and let it cook for 5 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning. The broth should be well-seasoned, slightly more than you think, because the bread will absorb it.
- 5
Cook the prawns
Add the prawns to the simmering broth. Cook just until they curl and turn pink, about 2 to 3 minutes depending on size. Don't overcook them. The moment they're pink, remove them with a slotted spoon and set aside. Overcooked prawns are rubber. You want them sweet and tender.
- 6
Poach the eggs
With the broth at a gentle simmer, crack each egg directly into the pot, spacing them apart. Let them poach for 3 to 4 minutes until the whites are set but the yolks remain runny. Don't stir. Don't fuss. Leave them alone to do their work.
- 7
Assemble and serve
Divide the torn bread among four deep bowls. Remove the pot from heat. Stir in most of the coentros, reserving some for garnish. Ladle the broth over the bread in each bowl, placing one egg and a portion of prawns on top. The bread should drink the broth but not dissolve completely. Return the cooked prawns to the bowls, arranging them around the egg. Drizzle generously with your best azeite. Scatter the remaining coentros. Serve immediately. Açorda waits for no one.
Avó Leonor always said: the olive oil at the end should pool on top like liquid gold. This isn't the time to be stingy. Use your best azeite, uncooked, where you can taste it.
Chef Tips
- •Buy prawns with heads and shells on. The shells make the stock, and stock from a packet will never give you the same depth. This is non-negotiable.
- •The bread must be day-old, minimum. Fresh bread dissolves into paste and ruins the texture. If your bread is too fresh, slice it and leave it uncovered overnight, or toast it lightly in the oven.
- •Use the best olive oil you can afford, especially for the finishing drizzle. You'll taste it directly, uncooked, in every spoonful. Azeite from Alentejo if you can find it.
- •Some cooks add a splash of white wine vinegar at the very end. I don't, but my aunt in Évora swears by it. Taste your broth and decide for yourself.
- •The eggs should have runny yolks. When you break them into the bread and broth, they create a richness that binds everything together. If you prefer them more cooked, give them another minute, but you'll lose something.
Advance Preparation
- •The shrimp stock can be made up to a day ahead and refrigerated. Reheat before continuing.
- •The bread can be torn into chunks ahead of time and left uncovered to dry further.
- •This dish cannot be assembled ahead. The magic happens in the final moments, when hot broth meets bread and everything comes together. Make it just before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 290g)
Calories
630 calories
Total Fat
35 g
Saturated Fat
6 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
27 g
Cholesterol
315 mg
Sodium
1090 mg
Total Carbohydrates
44 g
Dietary Fiber
3 g
Sugars
6 g
Protein
31 g
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