Portuguese white beans and seafood (feijoada de marisco)

Feijoada de marisco flips Portugal’s famous bean stew toward the coast: instead of the pork-heavy classic, white beans simmer in a smoky sofrito and wine-laced seafood broth, then welcome shrimp, clams and squid in the final minutes.

It is the kind of dish coastal tascas do brilliantly — hearty enough to be a stew, elegant enough for a special dinner, and endlessly receptive to whatever the fishmonger has that morning.

The build is simple: sofrito, spices bloomed in the pan, wine, stock, beans — and the seafood added in order of cooking time so everything lands perfectly. Rice or crusty bread on the side is mandatory infrastructure.

Feijoada de Marisco Recipe

Prep time: 20 minutes · Cook time: 30 minutes · Total: 50 minutes · Servings: 4 · Calories: ~277 per serving

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 large tomato, diced (or 1 cup canned)
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 cup white wine
• 4 cups fish or seafood stock
• 2 cups cooked white beans (cannellini or navy)
• 1 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 pound clams or mussels, cleaned
• ½ pound squid, cut into rings
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• Lemon wedges, for serving

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot and cook the onion, garlic and bell pepper until soft, about 5 minutes.
2. Stir in the tomato, smoked paprika, cumin and pepper flakes, and cook 3 to 4 minutes to bloom the spices.
3. Add the wine, scrape up the browned bits, and reduce about 2 minutes.
4. Pour in the stock, add the beans and bay leaf, season, and simmer 10 minutes.
5. Add the squid and cook 3 to 4 minutes.
6. Add the shrimp and clams (or mussels) and simmer until the shrimp turn pink and the shells open, about 5 minutes. Discard any that stay shut.
7. Remove the bay leaf, adjust the seasoning, finish with parsley, and serve hot with rice or bread and lemon wedges.

Recipe Notes

• Dried beans soaked and cooked at home give the silkiest texture, but good canned beans work.
• Monkfish or cod chunks make it even heartier.
• The classic feijoada order applies: whatever takes longest goes in first — here, that means the squid.