Local food, traditional dishes and regional specialties in Lagos, selected for quality and authenticity.
The Algarve's hinged copper pan at its western best — day-boat fish and shellfish steamed with tomato, peppers and wine, opened in a cloud at the table for two.
Octopus charred on the grill and drowned in hot garlic olive oil with punched potatoes — the dish locals use to test a Lagos kitchen.
Summer's rite on the Bensafrim quay — fat sardines off the charcoal onto bread, with grilled peppers and cold beer as the boats come home.
Whole fish from the morning auction — bream, bass, sole — grilled over charcoal with olive oil and lemon: the port town's daily proof of itself.
Lagos claims the Algarve's festival sweet — threads of egg yolk and almond folded with cinnamon into shining silver bundles, a convent recipe from the town's own kitchens.
The fig 'cheese' of the Algarve — dried figs, almonds and spices pressed into dense rounds that slice like their dairy namesake, the orchard Algarve in keeping form.
The Algarve's wine revival runs through Lagos — DOC Lagos whites and reds from sea-cooled vineyards, poured beside the fish they were grown to meet.
