Holy Cod!
Apr 21 '01
The Bottom Line A guide to some of Portugal's Cod Dishes. They are a must-try during any visit to Portugal or Portuguese restaurants here in the United States.
The Portuguese adore their Bacalhau (Dried and Salted Cod). It's said that they know 365 different ways to cook it...one for each day of the year. I believe it! And Portuguese wives have been known to sit around and talk and debate about who makes the best and what the latest good recipe for it is.
The Portuguese have a long history with this fish. Shortly after Columbus discovered America, the Portuguese were fishing for cod near NewFoundland. They were the first Europeans to do so.
They learned how to salt cod at sea and sun-dry it. It keeps for many months this way without refrigeration. And then it requires being soaked for 24 hours in changes of water before being used to prepare a dish. The soaking reconstitutes the fish and gets rid of the excessive salt also. Even today, where refrigeration isn't a problem, the Portuguese have not lost their love for bacalhau. Believe me, it's not as bad as it sounds. It's absolutely delicious when cooked and you'll never guess it was salted and dried in a "previous life".
Dishes based on this main ingredient are sure to be a part of most holiday and other celebrations. It's a staple of the Portuguese diet and you'll find it prepared in all Portuguese homes and restaurants.
Below I've listed some of the most popular ways to prepare it. It should serve as a guide to you when visiting the wonderful country or when going to Portuguese restaurants here in the United States.
Bacalhau A Gomes de Sá is a casserole of alternating layers of the salted cod, potatoes, and onion. Gomes de Sá was a restaurateur in the Portuguese city of Porto and he's given credit for coming up with the original recipe. I will share a recipe for this at the end of this Epinion. It's a great dish to start with as your introduction to bacalhau.
Bacalhau Conde de Guarda I'm sorry I don't know the origin of this recipe named after the Count of Guarda, a region within the Beira Alta province of Portugal. It consists of cod, potatoes, onions, garlic, and heavy cream. The cod and potatoes and other ingredients are mashed together and baked and topped with cheese.
Cozido de Bacalhau is a boiled cod dinner. The cod is traditionally accompanied by boiled potatoes and chickpeas. And sometimes accompanied by collard greens. It's topped with olive oil and vinegar by the individual eaters at the table.
Bacalhau de Natas would be salted cod baked in the oven with onions in the middle of a very heavy, very rich cream sauce. Actually, a little too rich for my taste. Kind of sickening. It sits like a lump in your stomach. Definitely not the dish to start out with if you're a first time bacalhau eater.
Bacalhau a Braz would be grilled salted cod usually served with potatoes. It's delicious with olive oil and vinegar drizzled on top. One word of caution though...if it's overdone, it can be kind of chewy. That's not how it's supposed to be.
Pasteis de Bacalhau are available at many of the cafes. They're basically turnovers either pan-fried or baked with a codfish stuffing. I'm fond of making a quick lunch of a couple of these along with a beer when visiting Portugal. You might also find them being referred to as Rissois instead of pasteis in some places.
Sonhos de Bacalhau or "Codfish Dreams" are one of my favorites but unfortunately are not to be found in restaurants or cafes normally. Portuguese wives normally make them using the leftover cod from a Portuguese boiled dinner. The cod is run through a meat grinder or blender creating a paste which is mixed with eggs and deep fried. Oh so good!!
In my opinion, no visit to Portugal would be complete without sampling some of these and other cod dishes available there.
I'm able to find salted cod in little one pound packages at my regular Stop&Shop supermarket. But it's more expensive than what I'm able to find in larger quantities at little Portuguese or Italian markets.
And now, for that recipe I promised...
BACALHAU A GOMES DE SA
1 pound dried and salted cod
6 cups boiling water
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and sliced thin
2 pounds potatoes, peeled, boiled til tender, and sliced thin
minced parsley
black pepper
cayenne pepper
2 large hard-boiled eggs
a bunch of oil-cured black olives
Soak the cod in the fridge for 24 hours - changing the water several times. You probably want to keep this covered so the smell of fish doesn't permeate your fridge.
Drain the cod and rinse and then drain again.
Boil the 6 cups of water in a large pan and then add in the codfish and lower heat and cover and simmer for about 10-12 minutes just til the cod flakes easily.
Then drain the cod and rinse well being sure to remove any bits of skin or bone.
Preheat the oven to a moderate 350 degrees.
Meanwhile, in a large heavy skillet set over medium heat, warm the butter and 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the onion, separating the slices into rings, and sauté for about 10 minutes til onion is limp and golden.
Next, layer half the potatoes in a well buttered 2 quart shallow Pyrex dish and sprinkle with minced parsley, pepper, and cayenne pepper. The next layer will be 1/3 of the onion and then the next will be half the cod. After adding the cod, do another sprinkling of pepper. Then repeat the layering again ending with onions on top. Then sprinkle this also with a little more pepper and parsley. Then heavily drizzle olive oil over the entire thing.
Bake the casserole uncovered for about 40 minutes til it's hot and touched with brown. And then garnish with wedges of hard boiled eggs, olives, and minced parsley.
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