Portuguese Sausage (Hawaii)
intro
Smoky, slightly sweet pan-seared Portuguese sausage, a beloved Hawaiian local staple with juicy interiors and crispy edges, perfect served with rice and eggs.
Ingredients
Steps
Prep sausage links
Remove 450g of Hawaiian-style Portuguese sausage links from packaging, pat fully dry with paper towels to encourage even crisping. Use a sharp paring knife to cut 3 shallow diagonal score marks (2mm deep, spaced 2cm apart) across each link to prevent curling and help fat render evenly.
Preheat cooking pan
Place a 30cm (12-inch) heavy-bottomed cast iron skillet on the stovetop over medium heat (175°C / 350°F). Add 15ml (1 tbsp) of neutral canola oil, and heat for 1 minute until the oil shimmers and coats the pan easily, with no smoke rising.
Sear first sausage side
Arrange the scored sausage links in a single even layer in the hot pan, leaving 1cm of space between each link to avoid steaming instead of searing. Cook undisturbed for 3 minutes on the first side, until the surface turns deep golden brown with crisped edges around the score marks.
Steam to cook through
Carefully pour 60ml (1/4 cup) of room-temperature water into the hot pan to avoid hot oil splatter. Immediately cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid, reduce heat to medium-low (150°C / 300°F), and cook for 6 minutes until sausages reach a safe internal temperature of 74°C (165°F).
Crisp all sausage sides
Remove the pan lid, turn heat back up to medium. Use metal tongs to rotate each sausage link every 2 minutes, cooking for 4 total minutes until every side is deeply caramelized, with slightly charred, crispy edges around the score marks.
Rest and serve
Transfer cooked sausages to a clean cutting board, and let rest for 2 minutes to let internal juices redistribute. Slice diagonally into 1.5cm thick pieces if preferred, or serve whole alongside steamed white rice and fried eggs for a classic Hawaiian meal.
Tips
2.Seek out authentic Hawaiian-brand Portuguese sausage (such as Redondo's or Gouveia's) for the signature slightly sweet, smoky flavor; standard mainland linguiça is more garlicky and less sweet.
3.Watch sausages closely during the final crisping step, as the sweet seasoning on the casings can burn quickly over high heat.
OMG this tasted exactly like the sausage I grew up eating at family luaus on Oahu! I made a double batch for our neighborhood potluck last weekend and it was gone in 10 minutes flat. SO good, even my picky teen asked for seconds. Game changer for quick weeknight meals too, since it comes together so fast!
I prepped this for our weekly meal prep on Sunday and ate it with rice and scrambled eggs for breakfast all week! It held up perfectly in the fridge, and my 8 and 10 year old devoured every bite. No weird processed ingredients like the store-bought versions, which is a huge win for our family.
Really solid recipe! I threw these on the charcoal grill instead of pan frying them to get that extra smoky char, and it turned out awesome. Only knocked off a star because I wish it had a little more heat, so next time I’ll add a pinch of red pepper flakes. Still would make again for our next cookout.
First time making any kind of Hawaiian-style sausage and I was shocked how easy it was! 20 minutes total cook time? No fancy equipment? I served it with mac salad and white rice for our family dinner and my husband said it’s better than the version we got at the Hawaiian food truck we tried last summer.
Taste was great, but I messed up and sliced the sausage too thin so it got a little crispy when I cooked it. Also, I didn’t have any fresh ginger so I used ground ginger, and it was fine but I can tell it would’ve been better with fresh. Still edible, just user error on my end.
Brought this to our office potluck and everyone was hounding me for the recipe! Multiple people went back for thirds, I swear. The sweet and salty combo is so addictive, I don’t think I’ll ever buy pre-made Portuguese sausage again.
Cooked these up on our camp stove on a recent car camping trip and they were the perfect easy camping meal! Packed all the pre-mixed seasoning and sliced sausage in a cooler ahead of time, tossed ‘em in a cast iron pan, and we had a hot, filling dinner in 20 minutes after a long hike. Will 100% be a camping staple from now on.
Really good base recipe! I added a chopped jalapeño and a drizzle of hot honey when I cooked it to give it a little kick, and it was chef’s kiss. Super easy to tweak to your own taste preferences, which I love in a recipe.
My grandkids beg me to make this every time they come to visit! I’ve been making Portuguese sausage for 40 years and this recipe is so much simpler than the old family method I used to use, and it tastes just as good. Even my husband, who swears no recipe can beat his mom’s, said this one is a keeper.
I was looking for a quick high-protein dinner to make after evening workouts and this is perfect! Paired it with roasted veggies and a side of pineapple, and it’s satisfying without being super heavy. Easy enough to throw together even when I’m exhausted after the gym.
Wait a second, I used this sausage to make breakfast tacos and it might be the best idea I’ve ever had. Scrambled eggs, a little cheese, a scoop of this sausage, some salsa – game. Changer. My roommate walked in, smelled it, and made me cook him a batch too.
As a broke college student with barely any cooking skills, this was so easy to make! I only had one pan, a cheap grocery store sausage link, and the basic seasonings in my dorm kitchen, and it turned out amazing. Way cheaper than getting takeout, and my roommates all chipped in for ingredients so we could make it again this week.
Taste was 10/10, but my smoke alarm went off when I was searing the sausage because I had the heat a little too high! Oops. Pro tip for other clumsy cooks like me: use medium heat, don’t crank the stove to high like I did. Even with the fire department level scare, it was worth it.
I diced this up and threw it in my weekly fried rice and it elevated the whole dish so much! I used to use regular kielbasa, but the slight sweetness from the pineapple and the traditional Portuguese sausage seasoning makes the fried rice taste exactly like the kind I get at my favorite local takeout spot. Saved this recipe forever.
So happy this recipe is naturally gluten free! I have celiac and a lot of pre-made Portuguese sausages have hidden gluten fillers, so being able to make my own at home with simple, safe ingredients is such a win. It’s so flavorful I don’t even feel like I’m missing out on anything. Will be making this monthly!
I remember eating this sausage when my family took a trip to Maui when I was a kid, and I’ve been chasing that flavor for 30 years. This recipe is exactly what I remembered! It brought back so many good vacation memories, I almost cried when I took the first bite. Thank you so much for sharing this.
Made these for our college football tailgate last weekend and they were a total hit! Served ‘em on little slider buns with a slice of grilled pineapple and people were coming back for seconds and thirds all pre-game. Way more exciting than regular hot dogs or brats, and super easy to make ahead and reheat on the tailgate grill.
If you have an air fryer, run don’t walk to make this! I tossed the sliced sausage in the air fryer at 400 degrees for 8 minutes, shaking the basket halfway, and they came out perfectly crispy on the edges and juicy in the middle. No oil splatters all over my stove, which is my least favorite part of pan frying. 10/10 air fryer approved.