Let’s stroll down to Antonia’s restaurant “A Vela” and enjoy her latest recipe.
Praia do Paraíso
It is a beautiful evening so let’s enjoy what Carvoeiro has to offer along the way to restaurant “A Vela” located at the Rua do Barranco 68.The first stop is without a doubt “Praia do Paraiso” (Paradise Beach) a small beach hidden between the rocks. A long staircase leads to the beach, so it takes some effort to get there but this effort will be rewarded! The beautiful red rocks that embrace this beach make that this is one of the most picturesque beaches in Europe.
Paraíso beach – Praia do Carvoeiro
On the way from this beautiful beach to the centre of Carvoeiro you will certainly enjoy the beautiful views of the Atlantic Ocean and the village “Praia do Carvoeiro”. Especially during the sunset, the view over the rugged coastline is phenomenal!
Blooming Agaves
A real eye-catcher is the blooming from the Agave plant. These imposing flowers grow up to 8 meters high and bloom for a very long time. The bad or sad news is that the Agave only blossoms once and then it dies, but not before it has produced young Agave plants at the bottom of the old plant.
We continue our short walk to Carvoeiro and enjoy all the beauty on the way until we arrive at the restaurant “A Vela”. Although I have lived here for so long, I still enjoy the beauty and charm that this characterful town has to offer.
Beach – Praia do Carvoeiro
A surprise awaits us here because today Antónia has prepared a special dish for us. It is a typical dish from the coast of the Alentejo called “Açorda de Sapateira com Camarão” freely translated, it is a bread soup with crab and shrimp. Also this time Antónia gives us the recipe for this delicious dish, so we can prepare it at home! But today we are going to enjoy it in her restaurant “A Vela”, and I hope one day you will too!
Ingredients “Açorda de Sapateira com Camarão”
For this delicious dish, you need the following ingredients: (serves 4 persons)
2 litres of water
2 tablespoons of sea salt
½ onion with peel
1 bay leaf
1 crab
200 gr medium-large shrimps without peel
2 slices of firm bread 2 days old.
Olive oil
1 teaspoon piri-piri
1 tablespoon coriander
5 garlic cloves
2 eggs
3 tablespoons tomato paste
Preparation :
Bring 2 litres of water to the boil in a large pan and add 2 tablespoons of sea salt, half an onion with peel and 1 leaf of bay leaf.
When the water is boiling add the crab and let it boil for about 15 minutes.
Remove the crab from the pan and let it cool down.
Cook 200 gr shrimps in this same liquid for 5 minutes and set aside.
Remove the crust from the bread and cut 2 slices into small strips. Add the cooking liquid to the bread little by little, until the bread has absorbed the liquid.
We are now going to clean the crab. Remove the gills and separate the legs from the carcass.
Keep the belly and all the crab meat aside, scrape the carcass clean.
Put the bread mixture in a pan, add a dash of olive oil and heat over low heat.
Add the 5 finely chopped garlic cloves and fry.
When the garlic is lightly fried add the piri-piri, the coriander and 3 tablespoons tomato paste and the belly/meat of the crab.
Fry for another 5 minutes and then add the cooked shrimps + bread porridge. Make sure this substance is not too wet, it should be well moist.
Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks and add only the egg whites, stirring constantly until the egg whites are solidified and if necessary add some more salt to taste.
Serve the crab together with the legs.
Açorda de Sapateira com Camarão
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