It’s official, summer has started. So it’s time to plan your trips to the swimming pools, water parks and beaches, not forgetting the little getaways that make the warmer season brighter. However, there’s one thing you can’t leave out, whether you’re on vacation or not, and that’s enjoying some good summer snacks during afternoons spent by the sea.
All you need is a good terrace and excellent company. Then, order snack after snack, and you’re guaranteed a day well spent. Many of these snacks are served in series in any caféor terrace, especially in seaside areas with beaches. So it won’t be difficult to find one of these places in Greater Porto.
Table Of Contents
Percebes
To open the list of the best summer snacks, how about percebes? Although more expensive than any other snack on this list, we guarantee it’s well worth a taste of the ocean.
Clams Bulhão Pato style
Amêijoas à Bulhão Pato must be the most traditional summer dish in Portugal. Who hasn’t tasted the deliciousness of a frying pan full of clams with coriander, garlic, olive oil, lemon, salt and pepper? And when they arrive at the table, accompanied by the freshest imperials you can find, you can see everyone “attacking” the platter as if the clams were going to run away.
Shrimp from the coast
A good platter of boiled shrimp from the coast with a few pebbles of coarse salt on top is the ideal feast on any self-respecting terrace. Add two or three imperials to round off another beautiful summer’s day.
Snails
Snails are one of the Portuguese’s favorite summer snacks. Present on saucers and platters all over the country in the months without “r”, in May, June, July and August, this delicacy is a delight at the end of the afternoon, after a great day at the beach.
Octopus or squid salad
To the traditional Octopus Salad, much appreciated by all lovers of a good summer delicacy, we decided to add squid cooked in white with onion, parsley and pepper and vinegar to taste. It’s delicious! In Spain they call them puntillitas, and they make them fried… which are also delicious.
Fried fish
Whether it’s horse mackerel, petingas or xaputa overnight, this snack is one of our favorites, preferably fried in cornmeal. Hummm, they’re delicious! And, of course, a slice of homemade bread and some thin breadcrumbs make up what is, for us, a real summer delicacy.
Pica Pau
For meat lovers, a dose of Pica Pau is at the top of the list of tavern snacks. But what we like best is the sauce, made from a wonderful mixture of white wine, bay leaves, garlic, butter, olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Every time we order this snack, we immediately order two baskets of bread. Who hasn’t?
Fried cuttlefish
It originated in Setúbal, but the truth is that sometimes you can even find fried cuttlefish on the menus of some of the pestisqueiras in Greater Porto. However, the further south you go, the more you’ll find this Portuguese delicacy!
Alimados horse mackerel
It‘s not on sale in many places in Porto, but it’s one of the most spectacular and delicious snacks you can find at this time of year, especially in the Algarve. And if you’re like us, you’ll never be satisfied with just one serving of this fresh and tasty delicacy .
Good snacks, preferably by the beach!