Head chef Kimberley Hernandez of London's acclaimed Luso restaurant has shared two signature dishes that capture the essence of Portuguese dining culture. The recipes spotlight the nation's love for couvert – the traditional starter of bread and small bites – and its passion for savoury pastries.
The Art of the Couvert: Smoked Fish and Vegetable Paste
At the heart of Portuguese hospitality is the couvert, a welcoming array of bread, butter, pickles, and often a fish pâté. Hernandez's version elevates this tradition with a smooth, savoury blend of smoked haddock and sweet vegetables. The recipe requires 25 minutes of preparation and 35 minutes of cooking, yielding approximately 300 grams of versatile paste.
The process begins by poaching 300g of undyed smoked haddock in 600ml of whole milk with a bay leaf. Separately, a sofrito of onion, carrot, fennel, garlic, and peppercorns is gently cooked in olive oil. Once blended until silky smooth, the vegetable base is combined with the flaked fish. An optional homemade chilli oil provides a finishing kick.
This rich paste can be stored for up to three days in the refrigerator and served as a sophisticated spread on toast, crackers, or with crudités.
A Celebration of Fungi: Indulgent Mushroom Tart
The second recipe pays homage to Portugal's pastry prowess with a deeply umami mushroom tart. This dish serves two and involves 20 minutes of prep and 1 hour 10 minutes of cooking. Its complexity lies in building layers of flavour.
First, a rich mushroom caramel is made by sautéing shallots and chestnut mushrooms before blending them with light soy sauce into a glossy paste. Ready-rolled puff pastry forms the base, which is pre-baked until golden.
The star of the show is the careful preparation of five different mushroom varieties:
- King oyster mushrooms
- Shiitake mushrooms
- Oyster mushrooms
- Chestnut or button mushrooms
- Maitake mushrooms (or extra shiitake)
Each type is seared separately to perfect their texture. The tart is then assembled by spreading the mushroom caramel on the pastry and meticulously layering the seared mushrooms, brushing more caramel between each variety to build flavour and structure. A final bake results in a crisp, golden pastry topped with an extravagant forest of fungi.
Bringing Portuguese Flavours Home
These recipes from Luso offer a tangible taste of Portugal's culinary philosophy, emphasising generous sharing and high-quality ingredients. The smoked fish paste provides a simple yet impressive starter, while the multi-mushroom tart is a show-stopping centrepiece suitable for a special meal. Both dishes demonstrate how traditional concepts can be refined into contemporary restaurant-quality food for the home cook.
