Skip to content

Fish

Setúbal style fried cuttlefish and chips

Setúbal style fried cuttlefish is a Portuguese dish of marinated cuttlefish, fried and served with chips and lemon. For 4 people, it takes 50 minutes and stays easy to make, for about €4.30 per serving. The key is salting the cuttlefish only right after frying so it stays juicy.

Tonight, choco frito from Setúbal, marinated cuttlefish strips fried golden, served with chips and lemon, a true beach dish.

Setúbal style fried cuttlefish and chips
Total time
50 min
Difficulty
Easy
Cost per person
€4.30
Calories per person
620 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Summer, Spring, Fall
The kids
They generally like it

Cuttlefish marinated in lemon, garlic and white wine turns tender before hitting the fryer. Cut into strips and lightly floured, it crisps up on the outside while staying soft inside. Paprika adds a gentle warmth and a nice golden color to the fried pieces.

This dish comes straight from the Portuguese coast, where it is often eaten with sand still on your feet, alongside chips and a lemon wedge to squeeze over everything. It is a good pick for a weeknight meal that breaks from the usual fish routine, and kids tend to like the crispy texture of the cuttlefish strips.

The ingredients

4 people

Fish counter

  • Cleaned cuttlefish 800 g

Fruits and vegetables

  • Garlic 4 cloves
  • Lemon 2
  • Potatoes 1 kg
  • Parsley 1 sprig

Pantry

  • White wineoften in the pantry 10 cl
  • Sweet paprikaoften in the pantry 1 tsp
  • Flouroften in the pantry 4 tbsp
  • Frying oiloften in the pantry 50 cl
  • Saltoften in the pantry 1 pinch

Allergens Mollusks, Gluten

The step by step recipe

  1. Cut the cuttlefish into thick strips and mix them with crushed garlic, white wine, paprika and the juice of one lemon. 30 min

    Lemon tenderizes the flesh, so don't marinate for more than an hour.

  2. Peel the potatoes, cut them into sticks, rinse them and dry them well.

    The drier they are, the less they splatter and the crispier they turn out.

  3. Fry the chips a first time at 160°C, then drain them. 8 min

    This first fry cooks them through and keeps them soft inside.

  4. Drain the cuttlefish strips, lightly flour them and fry them in small batches at 180°C. 4 min

    A short fry keeps the cuttlefish tender, too long and it turns rubbery.

  5. Plunge the chips back into very hot oil to brown them, salt, add chopped parsley and serve with a lemon wedge. 4 min

    Only salt right after frying.

Our tips to get it right

  • Cut the cuttlefish strips all the same thickness so they cook at the same rate and stay evenly tender.
  • Fry in small batches, cuttlefish releases water and an overcrowded pot drops the oil temperature fast.
  • Keep the oil at the same 180°C for both the chips and the cuttlefish, so the strips don't soak up too much fat.

The variations

  • Swap the cuttlefish for squid, the texture is close and the marinade works just as well.
  • For a vegetarian version, replace the cuttlefish with thick sliced button mushrooms, marinated and fried the same way.
  • To save time, use frozen chips and focus your effort on the marinade and frying the cuttlefish.

What to serve it with

  • A green salad with lemon dressing
  • A glass of chilled white wine
  • Olives as a starter

Storage

Fried cuttlefish is best eaten right away, since the crisp texture doesn't hold up well. If needed, keep leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for 1 day and reheat in a hot oven to bring back some crispness, chips don't freeze well and neither does the raw marinated cuttlefish.

Questions about this dish

Can you use another fish or seafood instead of cuttlefish?

Yes, squid works very well and cooks exactly the same way. Avoid delicate fish fillets, which wouldn't hold up to the same quick, high heat frying.

Can you make the marinade ahead of time?

You can mix the marinade a few hours ahead, but don't let the cuttlefish strips sit in it for more than an hour. The lemon would eventually soften the flesh too much and make it mushy once fried.

Why are the chips fried twice?

The first fry at 160°C cooks the inside of the chips without browning them. The second fry at a higher heat crisps the outside while keeping the inside soft.

How do you keep the cuttlefish tender when frying?

The trick is a short fry, 4 minutes max, at 180°C. Frying too long toughens the cuttlefish and makes it rubbery.

How long does it take to make a Setúbal style fried cuttlefish with chips?

Count 50 min in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “easy”.

How many calories are in a Setúbal style fried cuttlefish with chips?

About 620 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does a Setúbal style fried cuttlefish with chips cost?

About €4.30 per serving, or €17.20 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains mollusks, gluten. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

Recipes with raw garlic

See all

Fish and seafood dishes

See all