Today I wake up and decided to go down town Lisboa and stop at Saldanha Square.
"Saldanha" is a bustling square much modified over the years. It used to be surrounded by some attractive old buildings but those were torn down for the sake of modernity and shopping malls, witch makes me sad, they were the prettiest buildings in town...at least they recovered a few ones keeping the original vintage feel (scroll down to view some).
Those malls are Atrium Saldanha and Dolce Vita Monumental which are usually packed with professionals from the offices nearby at lunchtime on weekdays. Just steps from the square is one of the city's most beautiful cafés, the monumental Café Versailles, Beautiful, fresh, exciting, cultured, buzzy, open and very touristic.
When I arrived there, the Avenue was once more under construction, the traffic here is insane everyday, it's probably one of the busiest streets in Lisbon, sometimes I have a New York vibe when I'm here...
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| avenue under construction |
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| Building details |
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| attractive old building |
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| Beautiful vintage hotel building |
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| Very peculiar building urban art |
Today I had a food craving for "Caldeirada" a Portuguese Fish Stew, a bite of the sea!
If there is something you can find in Portugal, it is fresh fish! Sometimes it is captured minutes before it hits the pan!
Fish stews are really popular in seaside restaurants along the Portuguese coast. It used to be a dish for the poor tables, but are now highly considered and truly valued…
With Portuguese dishes, however, the definition of traditional is really more a function of place than culture. Portugal's varied geography has contributed to the development of all different form of Caldeirada. In a country not much larger that the State of Florida, you will find hundreds of variations - some subtle, some dramatic. The cooks in one village may add shellfish such as clams, mussels and shrimp with pride, explaining that those people down the way who may shudder at the thought of shellfish in their Caldeirada simply don't know a good thing when they taste it. In many places the addition of spices such as nutmeg and saffron are warmly welcomed.
On the islands of Madeira you may find Caldeirada à Moda de Funchal scented with the heady fragrance of cloves. On the same islands you'll also find Caldeirada de Lulas with squid replacing the fish and a bit of curry powder and ground ginger added in such a way that you'd never know they were there but you'd notice if they were not. In the Azores they enhance the stew's fragrance with some allspice, embolden it with a bit of hot red pepper or piri-piri and enrich it with slices of spicy chourico or linguica. In Aveiro, just south of Porto, Caldeirada cooks may use a combination of fresh and salt water fish, along with oysters, mussels and carrots. I read that in Lisbon they serve some fine Caldeirada à Fragateira with cockles and mussels over bread that's been fried in oil (an imitation of the French croûton or its inspiration? Who cares!) and topped with a bit of lemon zest. And in Algarve you shouldn't be surprised to experience a bit of the bite of oregano.
When making Caldeirada focus on the fish before all else. The fresher the fish the better. This means ignoring whatever fish the recipe you are using calls for. Just use whatever your fishmonger says is freshest. Do strive towards getting a combination of oily, firm and flaky fish, but don't obsess over it. A Caldeirada made with just the freshest haddock is going to be much better than one made with an assortment of recently thawed swordfish, Chilean sea bass and cod. That said, don't be avoid making Caldeirada if frozen seafood is all you have access to. I've discovered that you can produce a very flavorful Caldeirada with frozen seafood by adding some bottled clam broth and letting the stew cook uncovered for the last half hour or so to let the broth concentrate. Most of all, have fun with the dish. It's simplicity on just about every level and you'll be richly rewarded every time you make it.
So to make my craving come true I headed to the market, witch was a few steps away from Saldanha Square "Mercado 31 de Janeiro" for the hunt of the fresh fish to make the perfect caldeirada.
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| Beauty is everywhere and this handmade floor art work it's amazing |
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| Spices display |
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| Sun dried fruits (perfect for a snack) |
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| Portuguese food is all about Olive Oil and I love specifically the one from Alentejo it is more fragrant |
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| Beautiful fresh flowers stalls scattered around the market |
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| Flower power |
When I arrived home, I got inspired by all the beauty of the city and the flowers that I saw at the market and I decided to make a chamomile tea, taking my time, tea is meant to be a long relaxing affair...right!!!
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S|C|W
Travel inspiration and insider tips i love Lisbon thanks girl
ReplyDelete~Thank you so much, I'm glad that you like it ;)
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