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Enjoying this homemade bacalhau à Brás recipe at 33 Hostel.
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5 from 3 votes

Maura's Best Bacalhau à Brás Recipe

This is a basic recipe for one of Portugal's most famous comfort foods. Feel free to add your own twists once you've mastered it, or keep it classic!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
soak1 day
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Main
Cuisine: Portuguese
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 993.1kcal

Ingredients

  • 500 g 18 oz dried salt cod
  • 1 large onion
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • 400 g 14 oz crispy potato sticks
  • 8 eggs
  • 200 g 7 oz black olives
  • Olive oil to taste
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Parsley to taste

Instructions

  • Cut the salt cod into large chunks and place in a glass bowl of water, then cover with plastic wrap.
  • Place the bowl in the fridge and soak the cod for 24-48 hours. The longer it soaks, the less salty it will be.
  • Once it's done soaking, shred the rehydrated cod into small pieces with your hands.
  • Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the cod, lower the heat, and simmer until it's cooked through.
  • Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
  • Chop the onion and garlic finely and add to the pan.
  • Once the onion and garlic are fragrant and golden, add the cod and cook until it absorbs the oil.
  • Turn the heat down to low, add the potato sticks and stir to combine.
  • In a separate bowl, beat the eggs lightly.
  • Add the eggs to the pan gradually, stirring as you go.
  • Continue stirring as the egg cooks, and remove from the heat before it solidifies completely (it should be slightly runny but not totally raw).
  • Add salt and pepper to taste—remember, the cod and potato sticks already have a lot of salt!
  • Transfer to a clay or ceramic dish and top with olives and parsley to serve.

Notes

If you can't find potato sticks, you can make your own by chopping potatoes into thin matchsticks and frying them until crispy. You can also add extra ingredients; Maura likes to add shredded carrot and leeks to the onion and garlic mixture, and chopped prawns along with the cod.

Nutrition

Calories: 993.1kcal | Carbohydrates: 44.28g | Protein: 95.53g | Fat: 47.47g | Saturated Fat: 7.52g | Cholesterol: 517.36mg | Sodium: 10121.55mg | Potassium: 3248.62mg | Fiber: 5.48g | Sugar: 2.07g | Vitamin A: 926.73IU | Vitamin C: 22.56mg | Calcium: 305.03mg | Iron: 6.28mg