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A rustic basket of Setúbal fried cuttlefish strips with lemon.
Seafood

Choco Frito à Setubalense (Setúbal Fried Cuttlefish)

Leonor Perreira · Updated Nov 12, 2026
Prep
30 min
Total
40 min
Servings
4
Calories
480 kcal
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Choco frito is Setúbal’s most famous dish: thick strips of cuttlefish, marinated in lemon, garlic and bay, coated in flour and egg and fried until golden outside and tender inside. It’s served with fries, salad and lemon wedges.

Setúbal has a long fishing tradition, and cuttlefish, caught in the Sado estuary and off the Arrábida coast, was always one of its most important catches. Cut into strips and fried, it was first served in the tascas by the harbor and became the city’s culinary emblem. Today there are whole restaurants devoted to it.

Recipe

Choco Frito à Setubalense

Strips of cuttlefish marinated in lemon and garlic, coated in cornmeal and fried until golden. Served with lemon, one of Setúbal's best-known dishes.

Ingredients

4 servings

Method

  1. 1
    Wash the cleaned cuttlefish very well. If it's very tough or large, boil it whole for 8 to 10 minutes. Take it out, cool it under running water and dry it well. (If it's tender, it doesn't need this.)
  2. 2
    Cut the cuttlefish into thick, even strips.
  3. 3
    Put the strips in a bowl and season with salt, pepper, the chopped garlic, the crushed bay leaves and the juice of 1 lemon. Mix well and marinate for at least 1 to 2 hours (but no longer, or the lemon starts to cook the flesh).
  4. 4
    Drain the cuttlefish strips very well. It's essential they have no excess liquid, or the oil will spit violently. Pat them lightly with paper towels.
  5. 5
    Beat the eggs in a deep plate. Put the cornmeal in another plate (the cornmeal gives Setúbal's typical golden crunch).
  6. 6
    Coat the strips first in the cornmeal (shaking off the excess), then in the beaten egg, and then in the cornmeal again.
  7. 7
    Heat plenty of oil in a deep fryer or deep frying pan. The oil must be very hot.
  8. 8
    Fry a few strips at a time (so the oil doesn't cool). It's very quick: as soon as the coating is golden, it's done (about 2 to 3 minutes). Watch out for spitting: cuttlefish tends to make the oil pop.
  9. 9
    Lift out and drain on paper towels. Serve with lemon wedges to squeeze over.
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Tips

Dry the strips well: excess liquid makes the oil spit. Fry a few at a time, for just 2 to 3 minutes, and use a deep pan or a splatter screen.

For tender cuttlefish, choose thick, fresh pieces, boil large ones first, and never fry them longer than needed.

Fries and a lettuce and tomato salad are the traditional sides; tomato rice is good too.

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