Bitoque à Portuguesa

Bitoque is Portugal’s everyday steak plate: a thin, garlicky steak crowned with a fried egg, served alongside fries, rice and salad, and finished with a creamy wine-and-mustard pan sauce. You will find it on the menu of practically every café and tasca in the country.

It is the dish I make when my brain wants comfort, not decisions. And it is a perfect example of what Portuguese cooking does best: turning simple, honest ingredients into something that makes everyone at the table happy.

It is easy to recreate at home — use any tender, thin-cut beef steak, and whatever you do, do not skip the pan sauce, because that is where the magic lives. And if the runny yolk ends up mixed into your rice, you are doing it exactly right.

Bitoque Recipe

Prep time: 20 minutes · Cook time: 20 minutes · Total: 40 minutes · Servings: 4 · Calories: ~178 per serving

Ingredients

• 4 thin beef steaks
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped, divided
• 2 bay leaves
• ¼ cup white wine
• ¼ cup water
• 1 tablespoon mustard
• 1 tablespoon butter
• Oil, for frying
• 4 eggs
• French fries, to serve
• White rice, to serve
• Mixed salad, to serve
• Olives and pickles, to garnish

Instructions

1. Season the steaks with salt, pepper, half the garlic and the bay leaves. Set aside while you prepare the sides.
2. Fry the potatoes in hot oil and drain on paper towels.
3. Cook the rice in salted water (a beef bouillon cube adds extra flavor).
4. In a large skillet, heat a little oil and sear the steaks over medium-high heat until browned on both sides. Transfer to a plate and keep warm.
5. In the same skillet, add the remaining garlic, the white wine, water, mustard and butter. Stir and let it boil until it comes together into a creamy sauce. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
6. In a small skillet, fry the eggs sunny-side up in hot oil.
7. Plate each steak with a fried egg on top and a good spoonful of sauce. Serve with rice, fries and salad, garnished with olives and pickles.

Recipe Notes

• The most tender cuts for bitoque come from the rib, short loin or tenderloin — ribeye, strip steak or filet mignon all work beautifully.
• Look for well-marbled meat: those thin streaks of fat are what keep a thin steak juicy.
• Good fresh beef is bright red with a moist (not wet) surface and feels firm and cold to the touch.
• Cheese, ham or bacon on the steak are unofficial but delicious upgrades.