Shrimp Açorda

Shrimp Açorda
Artist
Ricardo Nilsson
Designer, Illustrator, Animator
behance.net/ricardonilsson
Country
Portugal
Ingredients
300g torn alentejano bread or sourdough bread (2½ cups)
400g shrimp (prawns), peeled & deveined (3 cups)
4-6 cloves garlic, sliced
1 chili pepper fresh or dried, chopped
3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Water
Salt
Coriander
1 egg per serving
About this Recipe
Açorda is a typical Portuguese dish, most common in the Alentejo region. There are many variations of this dish, and this one with shrimp is my favorite. It’s a simple recipe and a nice way to reduce food waste, if you have leftover bread.
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix the bread with water, and let the bread soak all the water, for about 5 min.
- Season the shrimp with a pinch of salt, garlic, chili and a drizzle of olive oil.
- In a pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat until it shimmers.
- Add the seasoned shrimp, stirring occasionally, for about 2-3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer shrimp to a plate and set aside.
- Remove the excess water from the bread and add it to the pan with more sliced garlic, adding water as needed (½ cup at a time) and stirring until bread has absorbed all liquid and has almost completely broken down into a porridge-like texture, about 20 minutes. Check seasoning and add salt if necessary.
- Add the shrimp and chopped coriander.
- Stir to mix well with the bread.
- When serving, add the egg gem and stir rapidly as it cooks with the residual heat. For the coriander lovers, sprinkle with more chopped coriander.