Bacalhau-a-bras
A delicious, traditional dish, look no further than bacalhau a bras. This dish is made with shredded cod, onions, garlic, and french fries topped with black olives and parsley.
You can find this dish in any Portuguese restaurant worth it’s salt. Instead of going out let’s get adventurous, try making it at home! It’s not as difficult as it looks and your friends and family will be impressed.
Bacalhau a bras is a truly traditional Portuguese dish. Bursting with flavors with every bite, it’s no wonder why this dish is so popular. Salty, savory cod pairs perfectly with the crispy french fries and sharp olives. If you love cod try my recipe arranged as in platter.
If you want to try something authentic and delicious, this is the dish for you. Made with shredded cod, onions, garlic, and french fries, bacalhau a bras is a meal that will leave you satisfied. Give it a try today! You won’t regret it.
Traditional Portuguese ingredients
With Portuguese cooking, there are a few seasonings we always include or incorporate into our meals. You can find these spices in any Portuguese grocery store, or in the European section of your local grocery store. Some of these spices and seasonings are:
- Minced pepper or pimento either hot or sweet
- Bay leaves
- Tomato paste
- Paprika
- red pepper flakes.
- Parsley
Just to name a few but with a few simple ingredients, you can make a delicious and traditional Portuguese dish that will impress your family and friends.
How to desalt the cod
Growing up I remember bails of codfish soaking in water and it’s a step that you can not skip. If you choose to do the desalting at home plan this step ahead of time. The time required to remove the salt varies on the size of the portions:
- Cod Pieces: 24-48 hours (change the water every 6 hours)
When it comes to desalting codfish, first wash and clean the codpieces under cold running water. Then soak the fish and store it in the refrigerator. The skin of the codfish must be left on do not remove clean anything, yet. Then change the water periodically until the desired salt point is reached.
How to make homemade matchstick potatoes
If you want to prepare the traditional recipe, the big difference is to make the shoestring potatoes at home instead of buying them ready, but if you choose not to you can buy the frozen shoestring fries from the grocery store those work great.
I’ve done both frozen and homemade but in my opinion homemade is better and the dish is much tastier. First, wash the outside of the potato then peel and cut the potatoes into very thin sticks. Next, I like to wash the sticks in water once more to remove excess starch. Then fry in oil till light golden brown. Place them on paper towels to remove the excess oil and season with a little salt.
If you want a healthier option, use the air fryer or bake them in the oven.
Tip:
Remember the shoestring potatoes are very thin and will burn very easily. Try not to overcook them or you will have hard crunchy chips in your dish.
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
- 600 g of salted cod
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 – 3 bay leaves
- 200 g homemade shoestring potatoes
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped or minced
- ½ cup olive oil
- 6 eggs
- Salt
- Pepper
- Chopped parsley
- Black olives
Prepare the shoestring potatoes:
- Wash and peel potatoes
- cut into thin shoestrings, wash once more, and dry with a paper towel
- fry in oil till light golden brown, place on paper towel to remove excess oil add salt to fries.
- set aside until ready to use.
Cook and shred the codfish:
- Take a pot of water, add bay leaves, and 2 cloves of garlic to boil;
- As soon as it boils, add the codfish;
- When it boils again, turn off the heat and set it aside for 15 minutes;
- Remove the cod from the water and let it cool;
- Once cooled, remove the skin and bones and shred the cod into pieces.
- set aside until ready to use.
Prepare the Bacalhau à Brás:
- Heat a frying pan over low heat in olive oil and saute the onion and 2 cloves of chopped garlic;
- Add the shredded cod and cook for a few minutes combining the onion and garlic with the shredded cod;
- Add the potatoes, mixing carefully;
- In a separate bowl, beat the eggs lightly with a whisk;
- Add half of the beaten eggs to the codfish stew, mixing well;
- Season with salt and black pepper to taste and let the eggs cook, always stirring the mixture;
- Turn off the heat and mix in the rest of the eggs;
- Remove the dish from the pan and place onto a platter;
- Sprinkle the dish with parsley and place black olives around the top;
- Serve when hot.
Tip:
When it comes to adding the egg to your dish remember to consistently stir once you’ve added it so that it does not turn into an omelet or scrambled egg.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do! Let me know if you try it by leaving a comment below.
Happy Cooking!
-Lana 🙂