When you travel on holidays to a destination you haven’t been before, you probably are worried about the kind of food you will have available. 
Gastronomy I believe, it is part of the experience of travelling and indeed what defines a country. 
With it’s 943 kilometers of coast, pretty much everything in Portugal is about the ocean and that includes the food.

Having said that, Portuguese like to taste the sea and for that reason fish is mostly cooked in their natural juices with Olive oil and lemon in a very simple way, you will find fresh seafood all year round. 

All cities and villages by the sea will have the typical “marisqueiras” which are restaurants that only serve seafood such as prawns, lobster and crab and where the fish caught in the morning is served to you for dinner.

Visiting a fish market or watching the fishermen pulling the fish net’s to the beach at the end of the day is something you should definitely experience while staying in Portugal. 
During the Summer the Portuguese typical barbecue are grilled sardines, that you can eat either with a piece of bread or with a fresh salad and potatoes and lots of virgin Olive Oil. In the Winter you can taste the cod dishes that will indeed satisfy your wish for comfort food.  

 Come and have a bite ! 

Maria Ines Amaral
Founder and CEO of Portuguese Association of Tourism for the Middle East