Seafood and bread soup, typical portuguese shrimp açorda recipe
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Total: 1 h Diners: 4
On my last trip to the Algarve I fell in love with açorda. It was a crush that I remember very well, basically because I had never had references of this dish before, nor had I read or heard of it, nor had I even thought about some “wet” migas in my head. I think that if we talk about açorda it is fair to understand that we are somewhere between those migas mojadas that I say and a garlic soup, with its well soaked bread.
In Portugal I discovered that, far from the traditions of Spain, they use the açorda both as an accompaniment and as a main dish and the first time I tried it was at a fish barbecue where they put it next to us as a complement. In that case it was simply bread with garlic, onion and lots of coriander, stewed in the same way and more doughy, but then when I was in the restaurant Noelia on the outskirts of Tavira – if you are in the area is undoubtedly the reference to go looking for a well-understood Portuguese cuisine, evolved and updated with delicacy but in a totally informal concept – and discovered another reference that ended up making me fall in love. It is the one I have tried to bring here so that you can all make the recipe at home.
From a sofrito of onion and garlic and a good broth, from the heads of the prawns in this case, an açorda of prawns with lots of flavor is prepared. The crustaceans appear on several occasions: fried with a little garlic and added with their own oil, as they are in the açorda and only at the end, put on top after having added the egg yolk, so that they are cooked with the residual heat of the stew. This is how the white shrimp of Noelia’s açorda appeared, those delicious shrimp with a sweet bottom and buttery texture.
The bread normally used is the Alentejo bread, but you can make it with any bread that has a little structure and soft crust, this is important for it to soak well. This is a dish that you will have to eat at the moment, because if you let it cool down it will be a not very pleasant lump and, of course, you can make modifications to the taste of each one to replace the shrimp with another fish, squid, even a meat ….
How to make seafood and bread soup
Ingredients
. Onion, 1 pc Garlic, 4 cloves Bread, 300 g Prawns, 600 g A good bunch of fresh coriander Extra virgin olive oil, 5 tablespoons Egg yolks, 2 pc Seafood broth, 1 liter Salt, c/s
Step 1
Chop the onion and two cloves of garlic and put to poach, with two tablespoons of oil and a little salt, in the pot where we are going to make our açorda. Over low heat because we want it to poach, not brown.
Step 2
Meanwhile chop the bread and sprinkle it with a few drops of water to soak it. Chop the cilantro and set aside.
Step 3
When we already have a tender poached add the broth and bring to a boil. The richer our broth is, the more substantial our açorda will be.
Step 4
Add then the bread and cook over low heat so that it soaks well, it always has to be a little broth. Add salt and add a third part of the prawns, mixing them into the stew.
Step 5
In a frying pan with the rest of the oil and the other chopped garlic cloves, brown them lightly. When the garlic turns brown add another third part of the prawns and turn off the heat. Let them cook slightly in the garlic. Then add everything to the açorda and mix well.
Step 6
Finally, add the egg yolks and chopped coriander to the açorda and stir well. Top with the rest of the prawns, cover and leave to stand for 5 minutes before serving so that the prawns cook with the residual heat of the stew itself.