← All recipes · Species guide: Barracuda
Portugal · Barracuda

Portuguese Grilled Barracuda

Bicuda Grelhada

In the fishing village of Câmara de Lobos on Madeira, bicuda is a local favorite. It is salted, grilled over charcoal and dressed with olive oil, garlic and lemon, with cubes of crispy fried cornmeal on the side.

  • Prep 15 min + 30 min salting
  • Cook 12 min
  • Serves 4
  • Level Easy
Photo: Vyacheslav Argenberg · CC BY 4.0
Served with: Madeira Fried Cornmeal Cubes ↓En Español

Ingredients

Tap each item as you gather it.

For the fish

For the dressing

Method

Step by step, the way it is done on the island.

  1. Salt the fish. Sprinkle the fish all over with coarse salt and refrigerate 30 minutes. Brush off the excess and rub with olive oil.
  2. Make the dressing. Warm the olive oil and garlic gently in a small pan for 2 minutes, just until fragrant, not brown. Take off the heat and stir in the lemon juice, parsley and pepper.
  3. Heat the grill. Get the charcoal hot and the grates clean and well oiled.
  4. Grill. Grill steaks 4–5 minutes per side (whole fish 6–7 minutes per side) until the flesh is white and just flakes.
  5. Serve. Spoon the warm garlic dressing over the fish and serve with milho frito and a green salad.

On the side

The side dish that belongs with it, full recipe included.

Madeira, Portugal

Madeira Fried Cornmeal Cubes

Milho Frito

Soft cornmeal cooked with kale, set in a dish, then cut into cubes and fried golden. In Madeira it comes with grilled tuna and espetada.

  • Prep 15 min + 2 h setting
  • Cook 35 min
  • Serves 6
  • Level Medium

You need

  • 4 cups water
  • 2 tbsp butter or lard
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 cup kale or collard greens, finely shredded
  • 1½ tsp salt
  • 1½ cups (250 g) fine white or yellow cornmeal
  • Vegetable oil for frying

How to make it

  1. Flavor the water. Bring the water to a boil with the butter, garlic, greens and salt. Simmer 5 minutes.
  2. Cook the cornmeal. Pour in the cornmeal in a thin stream, whisking hard. Lower the heat and stir with a wooden spoon for 20–25 minutes until very thick and it pulls from the sides.
  3. Let it set. Spread about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick in an oiled dish and let it cool until firm, at least 2 hours or overnight in the fridge.
  4. Fry. Cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubes. Fry in oil at 350 °F (175 °C) for 4–5 minutes until golden and crisp. Drain and serve hot.

Photo: Adriao · CC BY-SA 3.0

More ways to cook Barracuda

Same fish, a different corner of the sea.

San Juan del Sur, NicaraguaGrilled Barracuda Steaks with Chimichurri
Georgetown, GuyanaGuyanese Barracuda Curry
Cádiz, Andalusia, SpainAndalusian Marinated Fried Fish Bites