Portuguese Dinner Party - A Full Menu and Timeline

A Portuguese dinner party works best as a relaxed, generous sit-down meal: a few petiscos with drinks, a bowl of soup, one big baked main brought to the table in its dish, a make-ahead dessert, and plenty of wine. For six people, try tinned fish and chouriço to start, caldo verde, arroz de pato, then bolo de bolacha with coffee.

Almost all of it can be cooked the day before, which is the whole point. Portuguese hosts spend the evening at the table, not at the stove.

This is a classic northern-leaning Sunday-lunch menu, scaled up for an evening. Every dish has a recipe on the site.

With drinks: a board of Portuguese tinned fish, bread, olives and cheese, plus chouriço assado flamed at the table.
Soup: caldo verde, the potato and kale soup, in small bowls.
Main: arroz de pato, duck rice baked with chouriço on top until crisp.
Side: a simple green salad with olive oil, vinegar and salt.
Dessert: bolo de bolacha, the no-bake biscuit and coffee cake.
To finish: espresso, and a glass of tawny Port or ginjinha.

It's mostly make-ahead. The duck and broth, the soup base and the dessert are all done the day before.
It has one wow moment per course. Flaming chouriço, a dish of golden rice brought to the table, a cake sliced in front of everyone.
It balances rich and light. A light soup before a rich rice, and a cold dessert to finish.

Swaps for the main course

For a fish-loving crowd: bacalhau com natas. Assemble it in the dish the day before and bake it before dinner. Start soaking the salt cod two to three days ahead.
For a showpiece: carne de porco à alentejana, pork and clams. Marinate the pork overnight, but it needs about 40 minutes of last-minute cooking.
For a seafood feast: cataplana de marisco, opened at the table in a cloud of steam.

Keep the soup and dessert the same, whichever main you choose. If you want more starters and no formal courses, our petiscos night menu is a better fit.

Timeline: from the day before to serving

Times assume guests arrive at 19:30 and you eat at 20:00.

The day before

Morning: make the bolo de bolacha and put it in the fridge. It needs at least one night to set.
Afternoon: cook the duck for the arroz de pato, strain and chill the broth, shred the meat. This is the long, slow part, about two hours, mostly hands-off.
Evening: make the caldo verde base (potatoes, onion, garlic, puréed) and refrigerate it. Slice the kale and keep it in a bag in the fridge.
Shop for bread, olives, cheese, tins and wine. Chill the white wine.

On the day

14:00: set the table. Get out the baking dish, serving bowls, soup bowls and the chouriço grill.
17:30: lift the fat off the chilled duck broth. Slice the chouriço for the rice.
18:15: cook the rice in the duck broth, fold in the meat, spread it in the baking dish and top with chouriço slices. Cover and set aside.
19:00: heat the oven. Bring the soup base back to a simmer. Arrange the tins, bread, olives and cheese on a board.
19:30: guests arrive. Pour drinks, open the tins and put the rice in the oven to brown, around 20 to 25 minutes.
19:45: flame the chouriço at the table.
19:55: add the kale to the soup and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes. Serve with a slice of chouriço and a thread of olive oil.
20:20: bring the arroz de pato to the table in its dish, with the salad.
21:15: slice the bolo de bolacha. Make coffee.

Wine for a Portuguese dinner party

Pour Portuguese wine all night. It's good value and every bottle starts a conversation.

With petiscos: chilled Vinho Verde, or a dry white from the Douro or Alentejo.
With caldo verde and arroz de pato: a medium-bodied red. Dão, Bairrada or Douro reds suit duck, and they have enough acidity to cut the fat.
With dessert and coffee: tawny Port or ginjinha, served in small glasses.

Plan on about one bottle of wine per two guests across the evening, plus water. Our beginner's guide to Portuguese wine explains the regions and grapes.

Portuguese

Vista Alegre Bicos goblets, set of 4

Vista Alegre has made porcelain and glass in Portugal since 1824. These goblets suit a Vinho Verde with your cataplana.

Tip: All-purpose goblets: wine, water or sangria.

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Setting a Portuguese table

Portuguese tables are generous rather than formal. Put food in the middle and let people help themselves.

Serve the soup from a big bowl or tureen at the table. A cabbage-leaf bowl is a Portuguese classic for caldo verde.
Bring the main to the table in the dish it was baked in. A stoneware oven dish looks good straight from the oven.
Use cork placemats and trivets to protect the table from hot dishes.
Have bread on the table all evening. People use it for everything.

Portuguese

Bordallo Pinheiro cabbage serving bowl

The famous cabbage-leaf ceramics from Caldas da Rainha, made since the 1800s. Perfect for salads and batatas a murro.

Tip: Large bowl for the table, or the set of four for individual portions.

View on Amazon

Portuguese

Costa Nova oval baker, 30 cm

An oven-to-table baking dish, the right size for bacalhau com natas or arroz de pato for four to six.

Tip: Oven-, microwave- and dishwasher-safe stoneware.

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Quantities for six

Tinned fish: 3 to 4 tins, plus 1 large loaf, a bowl of olives and one cheese.
Chouriço assado: 1 large chouriço, sliced and shared.
Caldo verde: about 1.5 litres, served in small bowls as a starter.
Arroz de pato: the recipe serves six. Add a second dish if you have big eaters.
Bolo de bolacha: the recipe serves ten, so you'll have leftovers for breakfast.

From the shop

What you’ll need

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Portuguese

Bordallo Pinheiro cabbage serving bowl

The famous cabbage-leaf ceramics from Caldas da Rainha, made since the 1800s. Perfect for salads and batatas a murro.

Tip: Large bowl for the table, or the set of four for individual portions.

View on Amazon

Portuguese

Costa Nova oval baker, 30 cm

An oven-to-table baking dish, the right size for bacalhau com natas or arroz de pato for four to six.

Tip: Oven-, microwave- and dishwasher-safe stoneware.

View on Amazon

Portuguese

Vista Alegre Bicos goblets, set of 4

Vista Alegre has made porcelain and glass in Portugal since 1824. These goblets suit a Vinho Verde with your cataplana.

Tip: All-purpose goblets: wine, water or sangria.

View on Amazon

Portuguese

Casafina Portuguese cork placemats, set of 4

Portugal produces about half the world's cork. These heat-safe placemats take a hot cataplana or clay pot.

Tip: Wipe clean with a damp cloth. Don't soak them.

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Good questions

Frequently asked

What do you serve at a Portuguese dinner party?

Start with petiscos like tinned fish, olives, bread and chouriço assado, then a soup such as caldo verde. The main is often a baked dish like arroz de pato or bacalhau com natas, followed by a dessert such as bolo de bolacha or arroz doce, coffee and Port.

What Portuguese dishes can be made ahead for guests?

Arroz de pato (the duck and broth), bacalhau com natas, caldo verde base, arroz doce and bolo de bolacha can all be made the day before. Pastéis de bacalhau and croquetes can be shaped ahead and fried before serving.

What wine goes with a Portuguese dinner?

Vinho Verde or a dry white with starters, a Dão, Bairrada or Douro red with meat and duck, and tawny Port or ginjinha with dessert and coffee. Portuguese wine is good value, so you can serve it generously.

How many courses is a Portuguese dinner?

A traditional meal usually has couvert or petiscos, soup, a main course, dessert and coffee. At home the courses are relaxed and shared from the middle of the table rather than plated.

Portuguese Dinner PartyA Full Menu and Timeline

The menu (serves 6)