Bacalhau a Bras Recipe - Classic Portuguese Salt Cod with Eggs and Crispy Potatoes
Quick answer
- Active time
- 40 min
- Waiting
- See the steps
- Level
- Medium
- Servings
- 2 servings
- Ingredients
- 8
About this dish
Shreds of salt cod and matchstick potatoes fried crisp are bound together by eggs cooked only to soft, creamy curds.
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Soaking the cod in cold water for 24 to 48 hours, with several changes, means starting a day or two ahead. Even after soaking it keeps some salt, which makes tasting at the end more reliable than salting along the way. Taking the pan off the heat before the eggs fully set and letting residual heat finish them keeps the dish moist rather than dry. Black olives go alongside when you have them.
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1
Soak 250g salted cod in cold water for 24 to 48 hours, changing the water several times so the salinity drops evenly.
Check carefully for skin and bones, then shred the flesh by hand into fine strands.
- 2
Cut 300g potatoes into very thin matchsticks and dry them well so they crisp instead of steaming.
Fry in oil, or bake in the oven, until deeply golden and crisp, then keep them separate for later mixing.
- 3
Warm 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pan over medium heat.
Add 120g sliced onion and 2 minced garlic cloves, then cook until the onion turns translucent, softens, and smells sweet without browning too hard.
- 4
Add the shredded cod to the pan and saute over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes.
When the edges take on a little color and the pan is not watery, fold in the crisp potatoes gently.
- 5
Beat 3 eggs in a bowl, pour them evenly over the pan, and immediately lower the heat.
Stir slowly from the bottom so the eggs form creamy curds that bind the cod and potatoes without turning dry.
- 6
Turn off the heat before the eggs fully set, letting residual heat finish the dish while it stays moist.
Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon parsley and 0.5 teaspoon black pepper, and add black olives if available.
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