The "Sopa de Peixe à Poveiro" is a recipe created by Chef José Alexandre, Founding Confrade of the Confraria dos Sabores Poveiros, which seeks to translate the identity of Póvoa de Varzim into a single pot. The recipe combines ingredients from the sea, such as hake and shrimp, with products from the land, such as potato, carrot, leek, onion and parsley, thus representing the agricultural Póvoa and the countryside that has always coexisted with the maritime Póvoa.
The Confraria dos Sabores Poveiros plays an important role in enhancing and preserving local gastronomy, keeping alive recipes, flavours and traditions that are part of the Póvoa gastronomic heritage. The soup stock is prepared from parts of fish and shellfish that would normally be discarded, such as the head and tail of the hake, bones and shrimp shells, concentrating all the flavour in these parts.
The recipe is made for 20 people and includes 1 kg of large hake with head, 3 large potatoes, 500 g of shell-on shrimp, 3 large carrots, 2 onions, 2 leeks, white wine, pepper, saffron, salt, parsley, coriander, olive oil and water. The preparation involves making a stock with the hake parts, a sauté with the vegetables and shrimp, and then combining everything before adding the hake flakes at the end.
The result is a generous and flavourful soup, deeply linked to the territory of Póvoa de Varzim. The recipe was shared by Chef José Alexandre and published by Mário Moreira in the section "Portugal à mesa com" on the Mais Guimarães portal.
