Prego no Pão is a traditional steak sandwich from Portugal, made with Portuguese bread rolls, steak, and a delicious white wine, garlic, and butter sauce. It’s a simple sandwich, but when prepared properly is utterly delicious, and packed with Portuguese flavours. Keep reading to learn how to prepare this fantastic Portuguese steak sandwich!
Authentic Portuguese Prego Sandwiches
Prego is a casual steak sandwich typically served at snack bars and tascas in Portugal. It’s not meant to be gourmet but something you eat for lunch or dinner with a side of French fries and a cold imperial. The secret to a good Prego is the special sauce, typically made with butter, garlic, mustard, and a touch of white wine to deglaze the caramelised steak bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. The bread used is papo-seco, a crusty but fluffy Portuguese bread roll that does a great job at absorbing the sauce.
There are lots of variations to the traditional Prego, in Madeira it’s made with a local flatbread called bolo do caco. Other versions include a fried egg, or less traditionally, a tuna steak instead of beef.
The Story Behind Portugal’s Iconic Steak Sandwich
There are two possible stories for the name Prego which means ‘nail’. The most popular one suggests it came from ‘hammering’ the raw steaks to tenderise the meat. Some people also hammered pieces of garlic into the steak to add more flavour.
The second and perhaps most accurate theory credits Manuel Dias Prego as the ‘creator’ of the sandwich. He owned a small establishment at Praia da Maçãs in Sintra in the late 19th century where he would sell local wine and steak sandwiches. His sandwiches became really popular with those visiting the beach, who would refer to it as ‘bifanas do Prego’. By the beginning of the 20th century, many cafés in Lisbon and surroundings would replicate Prego’s sandwich, calling it simply a ‘prego’.
Prego vs Bifana? Understanding Portugal’s Favourite Sandwiches
As I mentioned earlier, there was a moment in time where a prego sandwich was colloquially called a bifana. Today, however, a bifana is a different and perhaps more popular, Portuguese sandwich. Both of them have a similar concept though, a bread roll filled with a thin cutlet, and served with a rich sauce containing white wine and garlic. So what are the key differences between these two iconic Portuguese sandwiches?
Quite simply, the bifanas are made with thin cutlets of marinated pork lightly fried with lard and butter, and slowly cooked in the liquids of the marinade made with white wine, garlic, paprika and chilli powder. The pregos, though, consist of beef steaks fried with olive oil and served with a tangy sauce made with garlic, white wine, mustard, and butter. Both sandwiches use the same Portuguese bread roll called papo-secos, that should be lightly toasted but still fluffy!
How to Make Portuguese Prego Sandwich
Prego no Pão- An Iconic Portuguese Steak Sandwich Recipe
2
servings10
minutes15
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kcalPrego no Pão is a traditional steak sandwich from Portugal, made with Portuguese bread rolls, steak, and a delicious white wine, garlic, and butter sauce.
Ingredients
2 Rump Steaks (150g each)
2 Bread Rolls
25 ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
20 g Butter
2 Thinly Sliced Garlic Cloves
80 ml Dry White Wine
1 tsp Dijon Mustard
1 Bay Leaf
Fresh Thyme
Salt
Black Pepper
Directions
- Start by seasoning the steaks on both sides with salt and black pepper to taste. Set aside.
- Place a large stainless steel frying pan over medium to high heat. Once hot, add in the olive oil and the steaks. Fry for about 1-2 minutes on each side until golden brown. Take the steaks out of the pan, add in the butter.
- Once the butter has melted, add in your sliced garlic, the bay leaf, and a couple of sprigs of fresh thyme. Cook for about 2 minutes or until the garlic starts to gain some colour.
- Deglaze with the white wine, gently scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to release the caramelised bits.
- When the alcohol evaporates, add in the Dijon mustard, and stir to emulsify. Season with more salt and pepper.
- Return the steaks back to the pan, coating them with the sauce.
- Meanwhile, lightly toast both halves of the bread roll on a separate pan with some butter.
- To assemble the sandwich, place the steak on the bottom half of the roll, drizzle a couple of spoons of sauce over it. Serve with some French fries and a cold Superbock, enjoy!!
Notes
- You can use a meat mallet to tenderise and make your steak thinner if necessary.
- Remove the steak from the fridge at least 30 minutes before cooking.
- Papo seco is a typical Portuguese bread roll that’s crusty but fluffy on the inside, you can replace it with any roll of your choice.
- Avoid using non-stick frying pans as they don’t create the caramelisation at the bottom of the pan that makes your sauce more flavourful.
- If you are not a fan of strong garlic flavour you can use whole garlic cloves and remove them before serving.
Have you tried this recipe? Let me know in the comments!