When friends move to Porto, this is what I tell them to cook first: caldo verde for a cold, damp evening; arroz de tomate when there are ripe tomatoes on the counter; and bacalhau à Brás when dinner needs to feel like more than toast. These are not restaurant projects. They are forgiving home food, and the ingredients are easy to find here.
I still buy greens, bread and odds and ends at Mercado do Bolhão when I am nearby. For an ordinary week, though, the best shop is the one on your own street that you will actually visit. A small produce shop and a supermarket will cover most of this list.
Caldo verde for a weeknight
For four bowls, simmer 3 peeled, chopped potatoes with 1 sliced onion and 1 litre of water or light stock until the potatoes are soft, about 20 minutes. Mash some of the potato into the liquid to thicken it. Add 150 g finely shredded couve-galega or kale, a good splash of olive oil and salt; cook for another 5 to 8 minutes, just until the greens soften. Add a little more hot water if it is thicker than you like. Serve with broa or a crusty roll. Chouriço is common on top, but the soup is good without it.
In Porto, the greens are often sold already cut for caldo verde. If you cannot find them, finely sliced kale works; it will be a little chewier, so give it a few extra minutes. The soup thickens overnight. Loosen leftovers with water while reheating rather than adding more oil.
Arroz de tomate that stays loose
Soften 1 chopped onion and 2 garlic cloves in olive oil. Add 2 chopped ripe tomatoes (or a small tin of chopped tomatoes), salt and a bay leaf; cook until the tomato collapses. Stir in 250 g carolino or other short-grain rice, then add about 750 ml hot water or light stock. Simmer uncovered until the rice is tender and still a little soupy, usually 15–18 minutes. Add hot water if it tightens too early. At home I put it beside grilled fish, a fried egg or leftover roast chicken. The loose texture is the point; do not wait for it to turn into a dry pilaf.
Bacalhau à Brás without the overnight soak
Salt cod needs soaking and several water changes. When you are learning the dish, buy bacalhau already desalted and follow the packet’s storage instructions. For two people, gently cook a sliced onion in olive oil, add about 250 g flaked cooked cod, then fold in 150 g thin fried potatoes and 3 beaten eggs over low heat. Take the pan off while the eggs are still soft; they will keep cooking for a moment. Finish with parsley and olives. I like this with a plain green salad and bread, not another complicated side.
Fish and the useful cupboard
At the fish counter, ask them to clean the fish and tell you whether it is better for the oven or the pan. At home, salt it, add olive oil and roast it with potatoes; lemon and parsley can go on after cooking. Sardines are seasonal and smoky, so use a pan or oven with ventilation. On a night when I do not want to cook properly, tinned sardines or mackerel on bread with sliced tomato is a perfectly respectable dinner. So are chickpeas warmed with garlic, olive oil and a little paprika.
Keep onions, garlic, potatoes, eggs, rice, beans, chickpeas, tinned fish and bread around. They turn into soup, tomato rice, an omelette, beans with tuna or sardines on toast. Buy fresh fish for the day you plan to cook it; buy tins and beans for the days when plans change.
Where to shop and what to ask for
Mercado do Bolhão is a good central stop for produce, bread, fish and pantry ingredients, and the stallholders can tell you what looks good that day. Open it in Google Maps. I go with a short list and let the fish or vegetables decide the meal; that is less stressful than arriving with a rigid recipe and hunting for one exact ingredient.
Useful phrases at the counter: “couve para caldo verde” (greens for caldo verde), “bacalhau demolhado” (desalted cod) and “peixe para assar” (fish for roasting). You do not need perfect Portuguese. Point, ask, and let the person selling the food help you choose.
