Bacalhau (Portuguese Salt Cod Stew)
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Loading... - george edward
- 04 Jan 2022
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The first time my Brazilian friend and fellow food blogger Fernanda mentioned wanting to make a Portuguese salt cod stew (aka Bacalao or Bacalhoada), I was intrigued.
Given how well Fernanda's salmon fish stew had turned out, I was game to try it!
What is Salt Cod?
Salt cod isn't one of those easily-found-in-the-supermarket items.
For hundreds of years, codfish preserved in salt may have been a food staple in North America and Europe. But with the advances of modern refrigeration in the last century, it's been sort of hard to come by actually, for decades.
Too bad it's so hard to find, as the drying process that preserves salt cod greatly concentrates its flavor.
Names for Salt Cod Stew: Bacalhoada, Bacalhau, and Bacalao
The minute I first tasted Fernanda's bacalhoada, as it is called in Portuguese (or Bacalao in Spanish), I knew I had to make it.
We found the salt cod at a local Italian specialty food market. Fernanda's instructions came with ingredients and method but not quantities. So for the most part, I'm guessing here, based on my memory of the dish and on other bacalhoada and bacalao recipes I've found online.
Most recipes I found have salt cod, potatoes, and onions as a base. Many of the recipes also layered in sliced fresh tomatoes, which would be perfect in the summertime.
I've double-layered this dish in a Dutch oven and cooked it on the stove-top. Most recipes I found used a broad casserole dish, only had one layer of fish, and baked it in the oven. The hard boiled eggs, surprisingly, really work with the flavors of this dish.
Tips for Bacalhoada Salt Cod Stew
· Adjust for salt. If you've changed the soaking water several times, you may end up rinsing away all of the fish's salt. In which case, you'll have to add some back in. Make sure you taste the fish before you layer it in the casserole, so you'll know if and how much salt to add.
· Add plenty of olive oil. It helps to be liberal with the olive oil. If you get the stew on your plate and it tastes a little dry, add more olive oil. The oil is what binds all of the flavors together.
PREP TIME: 20 mins
COOK TIME: 100 mins
SOAKING TIME: 24 hrs
TOTAL TIME: 26 hrs
SERVINGS: 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients
1 pound salt cod fillets, preferably skinless and boneless
3/4 to 1 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
Milk, optional
2 large yellow or sweet Vidalia onions, sliced
2 pounds waxy potatoes (Yukon Gold works great), peeled
4 eggs, hard boiled and sliced
About 40 pitted black olives (I used Kalamata olives, can also use green olives)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. Soak the salt cod in water:
Salt cod typically comes either in dry fillets, already boned and skinned, or it comes whole. The fillets need to be rinsed, then soaked in water, and kept chilled, for 24 hours, with one or two changes of the water.
If you are using a whole fish, not prepared fillets, it needs to be soaked in water for up to 48 hours, also with several changes of water, and the bones and the skin removed and discarded after soaking.
2. Preheat the oven (optional):
If you plan to bake the bacalhoada, instead of simmering it on the stove, preheat the oven to 350°F.
3. Simmer the salt cod in milk and/or water:
Put salt cod in a saucepan. Add enough milk, water, or a mixture of milk and water to just cover. Bring mixture to a simmer. Let simmer for a couple minutes. Remove the fish and set aside.
4. Parboil the potatoes and slice:
Parboil the potatoes for 20 minutes (you can cook them in the water you used to cook the fish if you want). Slice potatoes into 1/4-inch thick rounds.
5. Layer the casserole:
In a large pyrex casserole or Dutch oven (use a Dutch oven if making on a stove-top), generously coat the bottom with olive oil. Place a layer of sliced onions over the bottom of the pan.
Place a layer of sliced potatoes over the onions. Read More…
