Bacalhau à Brás: The Portuguese Dish That Proves Salt Cod Is Worth the Effort

Portugal has hundreds of bacalhau recipes. The saying goes there is one for every day of the year. Bacalhau à Brás is the one you will actually make on a weeknight once you have the cod ready, because the cooking itself takes fifteen minutes.

The preparation — desalinating the cod — takes a day. Plan accordingly.

Preparing the salt cod

Rinse the salt cod under cold water, then submerge it in a large bowl of cold water. Keep it in the refrigerator and change the water every eight to twelve hours for 24 to 48 hours depending on thickness. You can taste a small raw piece near the end to judge saltiness.

Once desalted, bring a pot of water to a boil, add the cod, and simmer for ten minutes until just cooked through. Remove, let cool slightly, then flake into large shreds, removing any skin and bones. Set aside.

The potato straws

If making from scratch, peel and julienne two medium potatoes into very thin matchsticks. Fry in batches in hot oil at about 180°C until deeply golden and crisp. Drain on a wire rack and season with salt. Alternatively, use a bag of thin shoestring chips — they work well and save twenty minutes.

Assembly

Soften one large onion, thinly sliced, in olive oil over medium heat until soft and turning golden — about twelve minutes. Add two garlic cloves and cook for another minute.

Add the shredded cod and toss everything together in the pan. Beat five eggs with salt and pepper, then pour over the cod and onion mixture. Cook gently, folding constantly as you would for soft scrambled eggs, until the eggs are just set but still slightly creamy. Take the pan off the heat a moment before they look done — residual heat finishes them.

Fold in about three-quarters of the potato straws. Turn out onto a serving platter, scatter the remaining straws over the top along with black olives and plenty of fresh parsley.

Eat immediately, while the straws are still crisp.