AI-generated image
Sopa de cação
Sopa de cação: Alentejo dogfish soup with garlic, coriander and vinegar, poured over bread
Far from the sea, the Alentejo still has a fish soup it calls its own: firm dogfish simmered in a broth heavy with garlic and fresh coriander, thickened slightly with flour and sharpened with vinegar, then poured over bread. Families make it on Fridays and in Lent, and some village restaurants serve it every week. Dogfish and other small sharks are overfished in many waters; buy it only from a certified source, or use monkfish, a firm and sustainable white fish. A common mistake is boiling the fish hard, which makes it stringy; let it poach gently. Chef's tip: add the vinegar only at the very end, off the heat, so its sharpness stays fresh.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Season 1 ¾ lb dogfish (cação) or monkfish steaks with ¾ tsp salt and keep it covered in the fridge while you start the broth.
Step 2: Warm ¼ cup olive oil in a wide pot over a low heat and cook 6 cloves garlic, half the 1 large bunch fresh coriander and 1 bay leaf for 2 minutes, until fragrant but not coloured.
2 minStep 3: Stir in 1 tbsp plain flour and cook for 1 minute, then whisk in 5 cups water and the rest of ¾ tsp salt. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
12 minStep 4: Lower in the fish and poach on a gentle simmer for 8–10 minutes, until the flesh is opaque and comes away from the central cartilage easily.
10 minStep 5: Take the pot off the heat, stir in 2 tbsp white wine vinegar and the rest of the coriander and taste: the broth should be garlicky with a gentle sour edge.
Step 6: Put a slice of 4 slices day-old country bread in each deep plate, lay the fish on top and ladle over the hot broth.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 400 kcal
- Protein
- 40 g
- Carbs
- 22 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does sopa de cação take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of fresh coriander?
- Flat-leaf parsley with a little mint (for people who dislike coriander too).
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Sopa da pedra
Almeirim, a market town in the Ribatejo, is the capital of this soup; its restaurants serve it every day, and each bowl arrives with a clean stone at the bottom, after the folk tale of a friar who 'made soup from a stone' by talking villagers into giving him everything else. This is a pork soup: red kidney beans simmer with chouriço, morcela blood sausage and a piece of pork belly, then potatoes, carrots and coriander finish it into a thick, hearty bowl. Chef's tip: cook the sausages whole and slice them at the end, so they stay juicy and don't turn the broth greasy.
Singapore chilli crab
Chilli crab was first sold from a pushcart on the Kallang river in the 1950s and is now the dish visitors queue for along Singapore's East Coast seafood strip. Big mud crabs are cut up, wok-fried and simmered in a thick, sweet, tangy and gently hot sauce of chilli, tomato and garlic, which is then silked with beaten egg. Everyone eats with their hands and mops up the sauce with fried or steamed mantou buns. It is a weekend or celebration meal, messy and loud. Buy crabs live or freshly cooked the same day from a fishmonger you trust. Discard any live crab that doesn't move, smells of ammonia or has a cracked, leaking shell. The common mistake is boiling the sauce after adding the egg, which scrambles it into lumps; pour it in a thin stream over a low heat. Chef's tip: ask the fishmonger to clean and quarter the crab for you, and crack each claw lightly with the back of a cleaver so the sauce soaks in.
Singaporean
Rhode Island clam cakes
At beach shacks along Narragansett Bay and in Galilee, clam cakes are bought by the paper bag, half a dozen at a time, to dunk in a cup of clear clam chowder. They are not patties but craggy, golden fritters, crisp outside and soft inside, studded with chopped quahog clams. Chef's tip: use the clam juice as part of the liquid; it puts the sea flavour into every bite of batter.
American