BitoquePortuguese Steak with a Fried Egg

Bitoque is the dish Portuguese people order at a café when they can't decide: a thin beef steak in a garlicky pan sauce, a fried egg on top, and the holy trinity of chips, rice and salad on the side. It's on the "prato do dia" board of almost every restaurant in the country.

The steak is thin, so the whole thing cooks in minutes. Make the chips in the air fryer while you do the rest.

The recipe

BitoquePortuguese Steak with a Fried Egg

The café classic: thin steak seared in garlic and bay, a quick beer pan sauce, a fried egg on top, chips, rice and salad. Portugal's favourite everyday plate.

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Prep10 min

Cook15 min

Total25 min

Serves2

Ingredients

MetricUS

Serves

2

½×1×2×3×

• 2 thin beef steaks (sirloin or rump, about 150 g each, 1 cm thick)
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 100 ml beer (a Portuguese lager like Sagres or Super Bock) or dry white wine
• 1 tsp yellow mustard (optional)
• 2 eggs
• Salt and black pepper
• To serve: chips, plain white rice, a tomato and lettuce salad

Method

1. Season the steaks with salt and pepper and rub them with half the garlic. Leave them for 10 minutes.
2. Start the chips: air fry frozen or fresh-cut chips at 200 °C for 18–22 minutes, shaking a few times.
3. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over high heat with the bay leaves and the remaining garlic. Add the steaks and sear for 1–2 minutes per side. Move them to warm plates.
4. Lower the heat, add the butter, then the beer and mustard. Scrape up the browned bits and let it bubble for 1–2 minutes into a thin sauce.
5. In another pan, fry the eggs in a little oil until the whites are set and the yolks still runny.
6. Pour the pan sauce over the steaks, put a fried egg on each, and serve with chips, rice and salad.

Notes

Clear ticks

Tap ingredients and steps to tick them off. Scaling changes the quantities at the start of each line; check the rest by eye.

Why it's called bitoque

Nobody knows for sure. One popular theory says it comes from the French "bifteck". What everyone agrees on is that the egg goes on top, never on the side.

From the shop

What you’ll need

Links go to Amazon, where you can check today’s price. If you buy, we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Amazon best seller

Lodge 12-inch cast iron skillet

One of Amazon's best-selling pans. Gets hot enough to sear bitoque steaks and blister sardines.

Tip: Season it and it lasts forever.

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Amazon best seller

Cosori TurboBlaze 6 Qt Air Fryer

One of Amazon's best-selling air fryers. The 6 Qt basket fits a batch of pastéis de bacalhau or chicken thighs for four, and the ceramic coating is PFAS-free.

Tip: Size is what matters for Portuguese cooking: 5.5–6 Qt feeds 2–4 people in one batch.

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Amazon best seller

Alpha Grillers instant-read thermometer

Takes the guesswork out of piri-piri chicken and bifanas: 74 °C in the thickest part and the chicken is done.

Tip: Check the thickest piece, away from the bone.

View on Amazon