Bacalhau à Brás is a traditional Portuguese dish that is simple to make and rich in flavor. Moreover, it is also a considerably affordable dish around here in Portugal, as it uses budget-friendly ingredients. This is the first dish of what I hope will be a collection of Portuguese recipes soon.
Last week, I opened a question box on Instagram asking what the best Portuguese dish was, after being asked this by a friend (thanks for the idea, Day), and I received many different dishes that I need to try and learn. So, the challenge is on! 😅
Who is Brás?
Well, according to my readings, Brás (or Braz) was the owner of a tavern in Bairro Alto (❤️), here in Lisbon, and he created this recipe there.
It makes total sense. The recipe is accessible, tasty, and works very well in a restaurant. I’ll take this opportunity to give you a first tip: you can prepare the base with onion, seasonings and cod in advance and just heat it up and finish with the potatoes and egg when serving. In other words, great for a restaurant and great for making at home to entertain friends.
The cod
For this recipe, we start with desalted cod. I find several high-quality options here in Portugal.
In Brazil, according to my father, who is an expert in making Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá (by the way, I’ll take the opportunity to share that recipe when he comes to visit 😬 – hey, dad!), pre-desalted cod found in the market is not of good quality.
To desalt, wash the fish loins, place them in a bowl with water covering the pieces, add ice, cover, and refrigerate. The time of rest and water changes will depend on the thickness of the fish. Repeating the process 4 times every 5 hours, adding ice to each change, may be sufficient. Just take a little piece and taste if it’s still salty, then repeat the process.
Remember that if you’re using cod that needs to be desalted, you should start this process at least 24 hours in advance.
The potatoes for Bacalhau à Brás
Maybe it’s a bit of a fuss on my part, but I really like making the potatoes at home in the oven. It’s more work, but I think the flavor is even more special, and some potatoes get a little burnt while others don’t, creating a difference in color in the dish that I find beautiful!
I have been using baby potatoes because they are already small and great for shoestring potatoes. But you can use larger ones and cut them small, or you can also use store-bought shoestring potatoes. Everything depends on your availability and desire. I think anything goes, as long as you respect the essence of the recipe.
Oh! It’s worth mentioning that they lose their crunchiness when eating hehehe. But I guarantee it’s not disappointing. Make Bacalhau à Brás!
The eggs
Every time I add the eggs, I think about how protein-rich this recipe is ahahah. Indeed, several eggs are used. When I make it, I use 2 whole eggs + 1 yolk per person. The eggs will bring a creamy consistency and even more flavor. And no, it doesn’t taste eggy.
The eggs should be made the same way as scrambled eggs: low heat, stirring well all the time, without forming large egg clumps, and without letting it dry completely. It won’t be raw, even if it remains creamy and shiny.
How to make Bacalhau à Brás
I start by cooking the cod loins in boiling water for 10 minutes, then remove them from the water and let them cool in a bowl. After they’re cool, we’ll remove the skin and bones from the fish and “shred” it in the process.
If you’re making the potatoes at home, this will be your next step: cut the potatoes into small sticks and bake until crispy or fry (frying makes more mess for you to clean afterward 😬). To bake them, I put aluminum foil on the bottom of a baking dish, grease it with olive oil, spread the potatoes well, drizzle with a little more olive oil, and bake. When they are golden and crispy, they are ready.
After these steps are already in progress, I put plenty of olive oil in a pan (olive oil is not lacking here), and sauté the sliced onion in a crescent shape, with the bay leaves, and then add the garlic. The garlic comes last so it doesn’t burn and turn bitter.
Add the desalted and shredded cod to the pan and mix well. If you feel it’s lacking, add a little more olive oil.
After that, just add the potatoes and then, over low heat, add the beaten and seasoned eggs. As I mentioned above, this is the time to mix well and not let it dry completely or form large egg clumps. It’s as if you were making a super creamy scrambled egg.
Transfer it to the serving dish and finish with chopped parsley and some black olives.
Enjoy! I hope you like it.
If you make it, remember to tag me on Instagram @casacaroba, I’d love to see how it turned out!
Kisses,
Glau ❤︎
