Commendable strangers

Peixe porco, Enchova, Galinha do Mar, Rasgasso

Peixe porco

Peixe porco (Balistes capriscus), meaning “pig fish”, is how the Portuguese call the triggerfish, and it is quite an expert at cracking sea urchins and other echinoderms. The English name, on the other hand, derives from the trigger mechanism formed b

Enchova

Enchova (Pomatomus saltatrix) is the bluefish or skip mackerel, and has no connection whatsoever with anchovies, despite its name. It is only available in summer, but when emerging in local waters, it does so in vast numbers, making it a cheap commodity a

Galina do Mar

Galinha do Mar (Scorpaena scrofa) is the red scorpion fish. Its Portuguese name literally means “sea hen”, and bigger specimens are, in fact, great for baking in the oven. Care must be taken, however, when cleaning and filleting scorpion fish as they

Rasgasso

Rasgasso (Scorpaena porcus), the black scorpion fish, is the smaller cousin of the galinha do mar and, as a marine inhabitant, likes to swim in the caldeirada, the typical fish stew of the Algarve. It is also one of the obligatory ingredients of an authen