Quilo / How it works here
Fish by the kilo
Tourists think in mains: “the sea bass costs €22.” Iberian fish restaurants think in raw material: “robalo costs 58€/kg, and this particular robalo weighs 900 g.” Neither is wrong — but only one of them is on your bill.
TL;DR
Price = €/kg × raw weight. A 900 g fish at 58 €/kg is ~€52 before sides, couvert and drinks. The move: have it weighed and the total confirmed before it hits the grill.
How the transaction actually works
- The board lists species and €/kg — it changes with the day's catch. “Peixe do dia” with no number is your cue to ask.
- The fish case. You (or the waiter) pick a specific fish from the display. Whole fish come in nature's sizes: a plate-sized dourada might be 350 g; a robalo for two might be 1.2 kg.
- The scale. Good places weigh it in front of you and quote the total unprompted. Anywhere will do it if you ask — here's the phrase.
- The grill. Once it's cooking, the price is settled. This is why the confirmation happens before, never after.
The numbers that surprise people
Raw vs cookedYou pay raw weight. Cooking loses roughly 20–30% in water — your 900 g fish arrives as ~650 g on the plate. Normal, everywhere, not a trick.
Portion sizeOne person eats 350–500 g raw of whole fish comfortably. A couple sharing: 700 g–1.2 kg. Bones and head are in that weight.
Wild vs farmedSelvagem (wild) can cost two or three times the farmed (aquacultura) price per kilo. The board usually says which; if not, ask.
Included sidesGrilled fish traditionally comes with boiled potatoes and salad included. Confirm with “vem com acompanhamento?” — does it come with sides?
Exceptions — not everything is per kilo
- Sardinhas are sold per portion (dose / meia dose), typically 4–6 fish. No maths needed.
- Cataplana and seafood rice (arroz de marisco) are fixed-price dishes, usually “para 2 pessoas.” Check per-person vs per-pan.
- Postas (cutlets of big fish like cherne) are cut to order and weighed — same per-kilo logic, smaller pieces.
- Polvo à lagareiro is usually a fixed-price portion despite octopus being a “market” item.
Do the maths at the table
Type the board's €/kg into the calculator and get a euro range for your table size in seconds — plus a pre-filled phrase asking for the weigh-in.
Open the fish calculator