One of the foods that I had read about and wanted to eat while I was in Portugal was Bacalhau. Made with dried salted cod fish, I soon realized that there were many many versions of this dish- sometimes it was made with cream, sometimes beer or wine and sometimes sausage or lobster was added. Bacalhau could be made many different ways. The dish I ordered at a roadside restaurant had been prepared much like the recipe that I have included at the end of this article, with potatoes and onions and lots of butter. I was not disappointed!
These fish were being arranged to dry in the sun- notice the nets overhead to keep the birds away.
This woman carried a container of dried fish on her head, and people approached her to purchase fish.
Nero Wolfe's Bacalhau
(Portuguese Salt Cod)
| 1 1/2 | lb | To 2 lb soaked dried cod * |
| 2 | lrg | Onions, sliced |
| 6 | tbl | Butter |
| 1 | cl | Garlic, minced |
| 3 | lrg | Potatoes |
| 2 | tbl | Bread crumbs |
| 10 | x | Pitted green olives |
| 10 | x | Black olives |
| 4 | x | Hard-cooked eggs |
| 1/2 | cup | Chopped fresh parsley |
| Wine vinegar | ||
| Olive oil | ||
| Fresh ground black pepper |
- * NOTE: To prepare dried cod, soak in cold water for about 24 hours, or until it is completely moistened. Change the water two or three times.
- Drain thoroughly.
- Put the cod into a saucepan and add enough cold water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the fish is tender. Drain; remove skin and bones. Flake the meat with a fork into large pieces. Saute the onions in 3 tablespoons of butter until they are tender and golden in color. Add the garlic. Boil the unpeeled potatoes in salted water. When they are tender (about 20 minutes), remove from the heat, put under cold running water, and remove the skins. Drain and slice into 1/4-inch pieces. Preheat the oven to 350 deg.F. Grease a 1 1/2-quart casserole with the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter. Arrange a layer of half the potatoes, then half the cod, then half the onions. Sprinkle with a little pepper and repeat the layering. Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top layer. Bake for 15 minutes, or until heated through and lightly browned. Before serving, garnish the top with olives and eggs; sprinkle with parsley. Serve with the wine vinegar and oil in cruets and black pepper in a small dish.
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Comments: 41
Melinda, when I was growing up in Cuba, cod was imported from Portugal and Spain, and of course, it was the dried 'pencas'. I hated it and was always sorry to see it come to our table due to the rule "you have to eat a bite of everything before you can ask for seconds of what you like" - my parents were sticklers for this rule ;-))
When I visited Spain, I was offered FRESH cod cooked with oinons, potatoes, tomatoes and capers.....It was delicious!
The difference between the dried and the fresh was like a revelation to me!!!
BTW, I have the Nero Wolfe Cookbook!
my mother was Portugese..she wold make bacalau and uyes every region has their own manner or style.
i have an Italian friend who poaches the fillets in milk after soaking them in fresh water
overnight.
thank you,Melinda ,for this invaluable peek at a beautiful coastal county.
So did you sample some wonderful port?wine?
Dried fish...I ate tons of it in the Village the nine years I was in Bush Alaska. Nowadays, Will comes home from Cambridge if he hears some dry fish has come in the mail from some Inuit friends. They dry their fish the same way...out in the sun.
If it swims, I eat it happily, so of course I have to try this recipe. YOu know, bacalhau is not the name of a dish; it is simply Portuguese for cod, whether fresh or salted.
My favorite salt cod dish is called brandade in French. Creamy and garlicky!
When I first arrived in the US, my husband and I lived in a small apartment in the third floor of this beautiful stucco apartment house. I remember frying some dried fish that a friend gave me for lunch. When my husband came home, all the other apartment dwellers were outside complaining of the smell coming from our place. That was the first and last time I ever fixed dried fish! :-)
I've got a few recipes from the course which I'll try to remember to post.
What I do ADORE about Portugal is White Port! I love it as an aperitif, instead of Sherry. It is served in large glasses in Lisbon (Lisboas are my kind of people) - and sitting on a roof terrace, looking down to the Tagus river is BLISS!
Glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for sharing!!
:-)