Portuguese fish stew (Caldeirada de peixe)

Name: Portuguese fish stew (Caldeirada de peixe)
Prep time: 19 min
Cook time: 36 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Portuguese
Ingredients: 2 finely chopped Onions; 1 Diced Red Pepper; Small bunch Coriander; 1 small Red Chilli; 3 cloves Garlic; 400ml Dry White Wine; Pinch Saffron; 1 Bay Leaf; 300g Potatoes; 400g Plum Tomatoes; 600g Cod; 300g Squid; 8 Tiger Prawns; 500g Clams; 500g Mussels; 1 sliced Baguette

By The Spice & Simmer Kitchen · Published May 3, 2026

A one-pot Seafood recipe with Portuguese flavors, built for busy weeknights when you want real food without a sink full of dishes. Comes together in roughly 58 minutes, serves about 4, and uses ingredients you can find at any normal grocery store. The technique is simple: build a base in your pot, layer in the main ingredients, simmer until everything has had time to talk to each other, and serve straight from the pan. If you're cooking for picky eaters, this one tends to land — the flavors are recognizable, the texture is comforting, and there's nothing weird hiding in the ingredient list. Perfect for the kind of evening where you want dinner on the table by 7pm and the kitchen empty by 7:30.

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings · 55 min total

2 finely chopped Onions
1 Diced Red Pepper
Small bunch Coriander
1 small Red Chilli
3 cloves Garlic
400ml Dry White Wine
Pinch Saffron
1 Bay Leaf
300g Potatoes
400g Plum Tomatoes
600g Cod
300g Squid
8 Tiger Prawns
500g Clams
500g Mussels
1 sliced Baguette

Step-by-step instructions

STEP 1.
Heat a drizzle of oil in a large, deep-sided frying pan, and fry the onion and pepper on a medium heat until softened but not browned. Finely chop the coriander stalks (keep the leaves for later), and add to the pan with the chilli and chopped garlic. Fry for another few minutes. Add the wine, saffron and bay leaf and let it simmer until reduced by half.
STEP 2.
Add the potatoes, tomatoes, and 300ml water and bring to a gentle boil. Break up the tomatoes with a spoon on the side of the pan and simmer for 20-25 minutes until the potatoes are just tender, and the tomatoes have broken down.
STEP 3.
Season well, then gently push the fish into the sauce, and arrange the squid, prawns, clams and mussels on the surface. Put the lid on and cook for 6-8 minutes until the mussel and clam shells have opened, the prawns are cooked and the fish is flaky. Toast the bread, rub lightly with the halved garlic clove and drizzle with olive oil. Serve the stew scatted with chopped coriander leaves, and the toasts for dunking.

Why this works on a weeknight

Portuguese fish stew (Caldeirada de peixe) lands at about 55 minutes total — a little longer than our 30-minute target, but most of that time is hands-off simmering, which is why it earned a spot in our Quick Soups & Stews collection. The technique is forgiving, the ingredient list is grocery-store standard, and the active cooking time is short enough that you can answer a text message in the middle without ruining dinner.

Cleanup notes

This is a single-pan recipe, so the cleanup is exactly one pan, one cutting board, and one knife. While the dish rests, fill the pan with hot soapy water — by the time you are done eating, the residue lifts off with a single pass of a sponge. Skip the steel wool on cast iron; a stiff brush and warm water are all you need to keep the seasoning intact.

Make-ahead and leftovers

Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in a dry pan over medium-low with a splash of water or stock to loosen the sauce. Portuguese fish stew (Caldeirada de peixe) actually improves overnight as the flavors keep talking to each other, so doubling the recipe and packing tomorrow's lunch is a high-leverage weeknight move.

Filed under 🥣 Quick Soups & Stews Seafood Portuguese