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Portugal · Porgy

Portuguese Butterflied Grilled Porgy

Sargo Escalado

In the fish grills of Setúbal, a whole porgy is split open flat, salted with coarse salt and grilled over charcoal, then drowned at the table in olive oil, garlic and a splash of vinegar.

  • Prep 20 min + 30 min salting
  • Cook 15 min
  • Serves 4
  • Level Medium
Photo: Syced · CC0
Served with: Portuguese Punched Potatoes ↓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. Butterfly the fish. Lay each fish on its back and cut along one side of the backbone from head to tail, through the ribs but not through the skin of the back. Open it out flat like a book. Leave the head on or cut it off.
  2. Salt. Sprinkle the coarse salt over both sides and let the fish sit in the fridge 30 minutes. Pat dry and brush lightly with oil.
  3. Grill. Heat a charcoal grill to medium-hot. Put the fish in an oiled hinged grill basket, or lay it straight on clean, oiled grates. Grill flesh side down 5–6 minutes, turn and grill skin side 4–5 minutes until the meat is white and flakes at the thickest part.
  4. Make the dressing. Warm the olive oil and garlic gently for 2 minutes, just until it smells good. Take it off the heat and stir in the vinegar, parsley and pepper.
  5. Serve. Lay the fish open on a platter, spoon the dressing over the hot flesh and serve with batatas a murro.

On the side

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

Portugal

Portuguese Punched Potatoes

Batatas a Murro

Small potatoes roasted in their skins on a bed of coarse salt, then punched open with a fist and drowned in garlicky olive oil. The classic partner for grilled cod and sardines.

  • Prep 10 min
  • Cook 50 min
  • Serves 4
  • Level Easy

You need

  • 2 lb (900 g) small potatoes, unpeeled and scrubbed
  • 1 cup coarse sea salt
  • ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 4 garlic cloves, sliced thin
  • 2 tbsp chopped parsley

How to make it

  1. Roast on salt. Heat the oven to 400 °F (200 °C). Spread the salt in a baking dish, set the wet potatoes on top and roast 40–50 minutes until tender inside and crisp-skinned.
  2. Punch. Brush off the salt. Wrap a potato in a clean kitchen towel and give it a firm punch with your fist (or press with the bottom of a pan) so it cracks open but stays in one piece.
  3. Garlic oil. Warm the olive oil and garlic in a small pan over low heat 3–4 minutes until the garlic just turns pale gold.
  4. Dress. Pour the hot garlic oil over the potatoes and scatter the parsley on top.

Photo: Adriao · CC BY-SA 2.5

More ways to cook Porgy

Same fish, a different corner of the sea.

Amalfi Coast, ItalyPorgy in Crazy Water
Florianópolis, BrazilBrazilian Home-Style Fish Stew
Cabo Rojo, Puerto RicoGriddled Porgy with Green Mojo