Top 10 Seafood to Try in the Algarve

The undisputed star of Algarve shellfish. Several varieties are gathered along this coast and in its lagoons, prized for a clean, briny sweetness. They are at the heart of the region's most famous shellfish dishes — opened simply with garlic, white wine and coriander, they hold the essence of Algarve cooking in a single mouthful.

Some of the Algarve's best oysters are farmed right next to Lagos, in the Ria de Alvor by Odiáxere — the lagoon and tidal channels around Vale da Lama make ideal growing waters. Briny, plump and tasting purely of the sea, they are best eaten raw with nothing more than a squeeze of lemon. A genuinely local delicacy, much of it destined for export.

Humble, abundant and endlessly versatile — mussels are the easy-going member of the shellfish family. Steamed open with white wine, garlic and herbs, or piled into a seafood rice or cataplana, they soak up flavour beautifully. Affordable and always fresh on the coast, they are the shellfish to order by the bucket.

From everyday prawns to something special, camarões are everywhere on the Algarve table — grilled with salt, sizzled with garlic, or tossed into rice and stews. The region's prize is the carabineiro, a deep-red prawn with an intense, almost sweet flavour and a head full of prized juices. Whichever you order, fresh and simply cooked is the way.

The big, meaty crab of the Atlantic coast, usually served cooked and split, or dressed — its shell filled with a rich mix of brown and white meat to scoop straight out. Generous and a little messy, a sapateira is a leisurely, hands-on feast made for sharing over a long lunch.

Smaller and more delicate than lobster, the langoustine is sweet, tender and highly prized. A quick grill or a brief boil is all it needs — overcook it and you lose the silky texture. Often the quiet highlight of a mixed seafood platter.

The top of the shellfish table — the European lobster, with its dark blue-black shell and firm, sweet meat. Grilled, boiled or built into a celebratory rice, it is the order for a special occasion. Prized, pricey and worth it when it is truly fresh.

The Algarve's most dramatic delicacy — strange, claw-like crustaceans prised from wave-battered rocks along the wild Atlantic coast nearby. Harvesting them is dangerous work, which is why they command high prices. Simply boiled in seawater, they taste of the ocean itself — a true connoisseur's bite.

Abundant along the coast and a grilling favourite — cuttlefish and squid turn tender and smoky over coals, dressed with little more than olive oil, garlic and lemon. Cuttlefish is meatier, squid more delicate; both are everyday seafood done brilliantly on the Algarve.

A properly local snack you will spot in markets and at summer festivals — small sea snails boiled with bay and garlic, picked from their shells with a toothpick alongside a cold beer. They even star in a regional bean stew, the feijoada de búzios. Humble, moreish and unmistakably Algarvian.