Fried Mackerel with Vilão Sauce

"A poor man’s food that turned into a local legend."

Back in the day, this was considered poor people’s food.

Chicharros are small fish, and there used to be tons of them. They were cheap. Way cheaper than meat.

So families ate this a lot. My parents. My grandparents. This was normal food. Now? Everybody wants it. It’s easily top five classic Azorean dishes.

They’re small fried fish, served dry and crispy, almost like an appetizer. On the side, you get potatoes or sweet potatoes.

And then comes the real star, molho de vilão. A salty, garlicky sauce based on pimenta da terra.

Strong. Punchy. Addictive. Visually? Not pretty.

Let’s be honest. It’s not Instagram food. But the taste? Ridiculous.

Most of the regional restaurants