Portuguese Steak Recipes

The Best Steak Recipes Made In Portugal

I selected four Authentic Portuguese Steak Recipes. That you must try when visiting Portugal or cooking at your home.

Portuguese Prego Sandwich Recipe

You can order this sandwich in almost every snack bar in Portugal. Like all Portuguese food, it is simple and delicious!

Read more: Best Things to Eat in Portugal?

What does prego mean in Portuguese?

It means nail (fastener). When I explain to Brazilians the name of this sandwich, they always ask, “Do we need a hammer to eat it?” But it consists of soft white bread with fried meat. Who created this sandwich was Manuel Prego! A resident of Praia das Macas, Sintra, owns a small snack bar.

How do you order Portuguese Prego?

You have two options: Prego no Pao or Prego no Prato. And you are thinking: What is Prego no Pao? What is Prego no Prato? Pao means bread. You will order a sandwich. And prato means dish. It is included beef, rice, French fries, fried egg and sometimes a salad or vegetables.

Read more: Eat like a local in Portugal.

What is the difference between boutique and prego?

Bitoque is pork meat, and Prego is cow steak. Take attention when you order in a Portuguese restaurant.

How to Make Portuguese Beef

Portuguese Prego Steak Recipe

INGREDIENT FOR ONE PERSON

• One white bread
• One beefsteak (the best option is sirloin steak)
• One garlic clove
• One bay leaf
• One tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 tablespoon of butter
• Yellow mustard or Piri-Piri
• Salt and black pepper (to taste)

PREPARATION

1. Layout the steak on a cutting board or a dish.
2. Roughly chop the garlic and on the steak. Gently pound it, crushing the garlic into the meat. If you don’t have a tenderizer for meat, you can use a rolling pin.
3. Season with salt and black pepper. Don’t marinate the beef.
4. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bay leaf and a tablespoon of olive oil.
5. Fry the beef for barely two to three minutes, turning once. Transfer to a dish.
6. Cut the bread and toast it on the same frying pan you used for the steak.
7. Serve on the toasted bread with mustard. Enjoy this prego recipe with a good beer!

Portuguese Steak with Coffee Sauce

To prepare this second Portuguese beef recipe, you need more time to prepare.

How To Cook a Portuguese Steak with Coffee Sauce

INGREDIENT FOR FOUR PERSONS

• 4 beefsteaks (about 500 grams)
• 50 ml (1/4 cup) strong coffee
• 100 ml (1/2 cup) heavy cream
• Four cloves of garlic
• 100 ml (1/2 cup) Port wine
• 40 grams butter without salt
• Two bay leaf
• salt and black pepper (to taste)

PREPARATION

1. Season the steaks with salt, pepper, bay leaf, and smashed garlic. Leave to marinate for about 15 minutes.
2. In a skillet, place the butter and leave to melt over low heat.
3. Add the steaks with the marinade and fry for 3 minutes per side.
4. When the beefs are fried, remove them to a plate.
5. Add smashed garlic and bay leaf to the pan. Then increase the heat to medium-high and add the wine and coffee. Stir the ingredients.
6. Finally, add the cream, and adjust the salt and pepper to your liking. Stir once in a while until the sauce thickens slightly. You can return the steaks to the skillet to warm up if you want.
7. Plate the steaks and spoon the sauce over them. Serve with white rice or fried potatoes.

Portuguese Beef Skewers – Espetada

Yes, I know that is not a steak, but everybody loves barbecue! And this is one of my favorite Portuguese grilling recipes. The flavor combination is fantastic!

What do espetadas mean?

Espetada is a typical Portuguese dish made of a large cube of meat, skewered onto a bay leaf stick with onions and peppers and left to grill. This recipe is originated from the island of Madeira (a Portuguese island).

But, there aren’t bay laurel trees everywhere. For that reason, you can see standard wood skewers for this barbecue, and they are so easy to find out in a grocery!

Portuguese Beef Skewers Recipe

INGREDIENT FOR FOUR PERSONS

• 500 grams cubed beef
• garlic powder
• Two onions
• green pepper
• salt and black pepper (to taste)
• One tablespoon olive oil

PREPARATION

1. Put the wood skewers in a bowl with water.
2. In another bowl, mix garlic powder, salt, and black paper. Add the cubed beef and mix again. Leave to marinate for about 1 hour.
3. Skewer the meat on the skewer, alternating meat, onion, and pepper pieces.
4. Grill over high heat char. Traditionally it was grilled over hot coals but it is now more commonly prepared on a gas grill.
5. Serve with white rice and fried potatoes.

Read more: Best Time to Visit Portugal.

Cachena Steak

And the last one, but not the least – The Cachena.

Cachena steak and rice with “tarrestre” beans is a typical dish in Arcos de Valdevez.

Cachena cattle is a triple-purpose breed from Portugal and Galicia, Spain. Cachena is considerably smaller than other cattle and known for its insanely delicious meat.

The tarrestre bean is tiny. It is produced in the region. It is used almost exclusively in the population’s diet in Arcos de Valdevez. It ranges between various colors, from beige to the predominant color. It is rich in fiber, and unsaturated fatty acids, which can help reduce the plasmatic level of cholesterol and triglycerides. Tarreste bean is cultivated on terraced slopes where work continues to be done manually as the particular landscape doesn’t allow mechanized methods.

Savor the different dishes of Portugal and listen to interesting stories on a unique tour. It is a great way to discover the incredible world of Portuguese Cuisine! Book with Confidence! The Tours are limited to the largest of only ten travelers. Be sure to secure your place early! In only 3 minutes, you book your next vacation in Portugal.

Other Portuguese Steaks

When you order a steak in Portugal, be open to learning more about Portuguese Cuisine, you definitely will be surprised!
Have you ever tried steak with Port wine and pepper sauce?
Our last groups in Portugal already lived this experience with us!
Book our tours online and then ask our guide to help you to order the best steak in Portugal.