Bacalhau à Brás – A Portuguese Traditional Meal

Are you looking to bring something different to this year’s festive food? This classic Bacalhau a Bras recipe will be a success with any fish lover. It is usually eaten on Christmas Eve after a day of fasting. This dish is sure to give you a new tradition and a newfound flair for Christmas cooking.

To create the unique flavour of Bacalhau the cod needs to be salted and dried overnight. So, this is a meal you need to think ahead to, which adds to the anticipation and excitement of when you finally get to sit down and dig in. Alternatively, most places will sell salted cod, which takes some of the footwork out of it!

Ingredients

6oz of Bacalhau (salted cod)

2 medium white potatoes

¼ cup of duck fat (this can be substituted for coconut if you prefer)

½ a chopped onion

A small pinch of saffron

A pinch of black pepper

4 lightly beaten eggs

A handful of chopped parsley

3oz olives, this should be between 10 and 15

How to

1.       Take your salted cod and run it under cold water to remove any surface salt. To make your cod extra tender and shred easily, soak it in water overnight in the fridge. When you are ready to cook, drain the fish and pat it dry. Next, run a fork through it to shred it ready for cooking.

2.       Grate your potatoes with a cheese grater to achieve nice small strands, and leave them to soak in water for 5 minutes before draining and patting dry.

3.       Warm the duck fat (or coconut oil) in a skillet on a medium to a high setting until it is shimmering. Add half of the potatoes and pan-fry, stirring them often to prevent them from sticking together. Remove them once they have become golden brown and set them aside to cool on a paper towel. Repeat this process with the other half of the potatoes. Then reduce the heat removing all the fat, apart from 1 tbsp from the skillet.

4.       Add the chopped onions and saffron to the skillet, and fry off until the onions are translucent. Pop in the fish and black pepper, stirring as you go. Let the fish soften which should take between 3 and 5 minutes.

5.       Next pop in one-half of the potatoes, and give them a good stir to combine the mixture. Pour your eggs in, scrambling and stirring occasionally. Next to go in is the parsley, then the last half of the potatoes and olives.

6.       Serve up and enjoy!

This meal is nice and simple but does require a large amount of planning ahead! Have you made this dish? We would love to know what you thought and see your pictures, you can reach us on Facebook or Instagram.