Portugal – Setúbal “choco frito”

Setúbal, a city just a 50-minute drive south of Lisbon, is the undisputed king of the famous fried cuttlefish delicacy or ‘choco frito’. There are literally hundreds of places in Setubal cooking the typical cuttlefish of the region, served with potato chips or fries, salad, and lemon wedges for squeezing the juice onto the choco frito. The cuttlefish is most commonly boiled with garlic and bay leaves, marinated in lemon juice and wine, then coated in seasoned cornflour before it’s fried to crispy perfection. Once prepared, the choco frito should be chunky, succulent, and crunchy on the outside.

 The origin of the local dish is attributed to the fisherman who used to fish in the Sado river bay. According to the story, at the end of the day the fisherman would meet up at the local taverns to settle accounts, tell stories and, of course, drink wine. At the time, the fisherman would catch a lot of cuttlefish in the bay that couldn’t be sold commercially due to their small size and the fact that they usually turned up half-eaten by larger fish. For that reason, they would fry all of the left over pieces of cuttlefish and snack on them back at the taverns while drinking wine. Overtime the cuttlefish moved from the fisherman table to the city’s most popular restaurants until it became Setubal’s main gastronomy attraction.

 After a plate of fried cuttlefish, a large portion of chips and rice, and maybe a little salad, there is a lot to do and see around Setúbal. If you are visiting the area for some days, a convenient place to stay is Troia which is just a ferry or catamaran ride away from Setubal.

The Hedone property in the Troia Resort is waiting for you… before or after your choco frito treat!

Hedone is Home.