Bacalhau com Natas (Portuguese Salt Cod Cream Gratin)
Bacalhau com natas - salt cod with cream - is Portugal's answer to the gratin, a casserole-style dish that layers desalted cod, sliced potatoes, and onion under a thick blanket of cream sauce, then bakes until the top blisters and browns. The cod is soaked to remove its salt cure, then poached and flaked into large pieces that hold their shape in the baking dish. Thinly sliced potatoes, parboiled until just tender, form alternating layers with the fish. A bechamel enriched with heavy cream - natas - is poured over everything, filling the gaps and rising to the surface during baking. In the oven, the cream thickens, the edges of potato curl and crisp where they poke through the sauce, and the top develops golden-brown patches of caramelized milk proteins. The finished dish is rich without being heavy, with the cod's lingering salinity cutting through the cream's smoothness. A staple of Portuguese Christmas Eve dinner - consoada - where it shares the table with other bacalhau preparations in a meal that revolves entirely around salt cod.
Adjust Servings
Instructions
- 1
Soak salt cod overnight, changing water 2-3 times to reduce saltiness.
- 2
Cut potatoes into thin sticks and par-cook them at 170C or in a pan.
- 3
Saute onion and garlic in olive oil over low heat until translucent.
- 4
Add flaked cod, milk, and bay leaf, then simmer gently for 5 minutes.
- 5
Mix in potatoes and cream, transfer to a baking dish, and season with pepper.
- 6
Bake at 200C for 20 minutes until the top is golden.
As an Amazon Associate, we may earn from qualifying purchases.
Tips
Nutrition (per serving)
More Recipes
Bacalhau a Bras Recipe - Classic Portuguese Salt Cod with Eggs and Crispy Potatoes
Make classic bacalhau à brás at home - hand-shredded salt cod tangled with crispy straw potatoes and silky scrambled eggs in olive oil. Soak the cod 24-48 hours, sauté with onion, then stir in beaten eggs off the heat until they form creamy curds binding everything into a golden mound. Black olives and parsley finish this iconic Portuguese tavern dish.
Caldo Verde (Portuguese Potato Soup with Kale and Sausage)
A classic Portuguese comfort soup with a velvety potato base, vibrant kale, and smoky sausage. Potatoes and onion are simmered until completely soft, then blended smooth to create a thick, starchy base, finished with shredded kale and sliced smoked sausage. Cooking the potatoes until they fall apart allows their natural starch to thicken the soup without any cream or roux, producing a velvety texture from just vegetables and water. The smoked sausage releases its rendered fat and smoky salt into the broth, transforming a plain potato soup into something with substantial depth. The kale is cut into thin ribbons and added for only the final eight minutes of cooking - this preserves its vivid green color and a slight chew, while overcooking turns it dull and stringy. Serving with crusty bread allows the thick soup to soak into the crumb, making it a complete meal.
Fish Pie
Fish pie is a staple of British home cooking, particularly during the colder months. Chunks of cod, salmon, and smoked haddock are folded into a cream sauce made with milk, butter, parsley, and a touch of English mustard, then topped with a thick layer of mashed potatoes and baked until the surface turns golden and slightly crisp. The combination of fresh and smoked fish creates layers of flavor - the cod contributes clean, mild sweetness, the salmon adds richness, and the smoked haddock provides a saline, smoky depth that permeates the sauce. Peeled prawns and halved boiled eggs are common additions that make the filling more substantial. In the oven, the sauce bubbles up around the edges of the potato crust, and the first scoop through the golden top reveals the creamy seafood filling beneath. It is a complete meal requiring nothing more than a side of steamed greens.
Chicken and Rice Casserole
Chicken and rice casserole is an American one-dish bake where seasoned chicken thighs sit on top of rice, sauteed onion and carrot, chicken stock, and heavy cream, all placed in a single baking dish and cooked together in the oven. Rinsing and briefly soaking the rice beforehand ensures even moisture absorption during the bake. The cream blends with the stock to create a rich liquid that coats each grain as it cooks. Covering the dish for the first thirty-five minutes traps steam so the rice and chicken cook through simultaneously, and removing the cover for the final ten minutes browns the chicken skin. Fat from the thighs renders in the oven heat and drips down into the rice, distributing a savory richness throughout without needing additional seasoning.
Portuguese Egg Tart (Flaky Pastry with Caramelized Custard)
Flaky puff pastry shells are pressed into muffin tins and filled with a rich egg yolk custard, then baked at very high heat until the tops blister with dark caramelized spots. Those charred patches are not a mistake but the defining feature of the tart, contributing a bittersweet complexity that balances the sweet, creamy filling below. The custard sets to a trembling consistency that is firm enough to hold when the tart is lifted but soft enough to melt on the tongue. Vanilla extract added to the custard rounds out the egg richness with a floral note. Straining the custard through a fine sieve before filling ensures a perfectly smooth texture. The extreme oven temperature is what separates these from ordinary custard tarts, as it caramelizes the surface in minutes while keeping the interior silky.
Korean Clam Sujebi Stew (Hand-Torn Dough in Clam Broth)
This stew combines hand-torn flour dumplings with clams, potato, and zucchini in an anchovy-kelp stock. The clams infuse the broth with a clean, briny depth, and the dough pieces cook into chewy, irregular shapes that catch the soup nicely. Potato melts partially to thicken the broth, while zucchini and onion lend sweetness. Finished with soup soy sauce and green onion, it works as a complete one-bowl meal covering both soup and starch.