Strawberries ……….. fresh and local at Setubal market, delicious and definitely a smile maker.

What else did I find in the market – fish, of course, a beautiful wild sea bass fresh from the sea – not farmed…..  Last year we found langoustine, just the once, wish they would reappear as they were delicious as carpaccio.  Also, a question I always have is, where around Lisbon can you buy fresh shellfish such as scallops?  All the restaurants have them, Galicia is full of them but I haven’t yet found anywhere to buy them.  Still researching that one.

Next on to my current favourite butcher for beef and pork – Talho Porco Preto.  I never understood black pork until recently buying a loin from here, it was out of this world, not pork as you know it.  The beef in Portugal is from a younger cow and called vitela – they have vaca (old cow) but that is not what I like.  The best of the best is Vitela Barrosa, this is what they sell here – and look at how they package it for you.

Finally, lunch.  We have had enough of the standard Setubal fare of grilled fish – yes, the quality of fish is excellent (usually, although some of the more unscrupulous restaurants, especially on the waterfront, will try to palm you off with the less fresh fish….).  Choco frito (fried cuttlefish) is the speciality but when you have it once…..  So we tried a little place that has just been added to the Michelin guide – A Champanheria – a lovely place with a Brazilian hint to it, specialises in oysters and tapas to start, then we had a delicious Moqueca de gambas with coconut rice.  Another good point was the suggestion that we had 4 tapas and 1 main course to share – just right for lunch.