Xerém is the Algarve's cornmeal porridge, a country staple that the coast married to its shellfish. Coarsely ground maize is simmered slowly with water, olive oil and garlic to a soft, creamy polenta, then conquilhas — the small wedge clams raked from these very sands — are opened through it at the last minute with coriander and a little of their brine.
It is cheap, old and deeply local: a dish from before tourism, still cooked in the family restaurants of Armação and the inland village of Pêra. The cockles bring the sea, the cornmeal the land, and the result is comfort food with a fishing-town pedigree.
Look for it as a starter or a generous main where the kitchen still cooks the old way.
⭐ Must-try:
Xerém de conquilhas
Highlights
- Creamy coarse-cornmeal polenta
- Tiny conquilhas (wedge clams) folded in
- Olive oil, garlic and coriander
- An old, pre-tourism Algarve dish
- Cheap, filling and deeply local
Frequently asked questions
What are conquilhas?
Small wedge clams raked from Algarve sands — sweet and delicate, opened through the cornmeal at the end.
Is it like Italian polenta?
The cornmeal base is similar, but xerém is looser and finished with shellfish and coriander.