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Cured in sugar, salt and rice vinegar using the Japanese technique of shime, the cold fish boasted a meaty firmness with a sweet and sour after tang. Somehow, that worked with the earthy, smoky flavour of the thick layer of baba ganoush spread on crusty bread below, and lashings of concentrated pomegranate syrup. An unexpected marriage of Japanese and Middle Eastern flavours and sweet as well as savoury that turned out to be a happy union after all.
What a find, in of all places, a surf house in a sleepy coastal town off the beaten tourist track.
Taste: 3.5/5
Plump, corpulent prawns that were so sweet and juicy, lovingly bathed in a garlicky red pepper and olive oil sauce that was so good I had to order a plate of bread just to mop up the remnants with. There must be some magic in the Atlantic waters off the coast here, and with a breathtaking view of the beach and surf from the restaurant, I’m quite inclined to believe so too.
Taste: 3.5/5
Addictively crispy, chewy and salty, I practically demolished these on my own in no time.
Taste: 4/5
Zealously true to its name, each mouthful is awash with a briny creaminess that is unmistakably seaweed. Good in small doses, and perhaps an acquired taste for some as well.
Taste: 3.5/5
There’s something about the seafood in Portugal, it’s just so good. And what a generous heaping of tuna this was too, crusted in black and white sesame, and its ocean freshness accentuated by the sugar hit of honey.
Taste: 3.5/5
