Back All Learning NotesLearning Notes

Portugal’s Love Affair with Bacalhau

portuguese fish

In addition to being one of the most difficult Portuguese words for foreigners to pronounce correctly, o bacalhaucodfish is Portugal’s most treasured dish and it is highly associated with its national identity.
There are supposedly over 1000 recipes involving bacalhau! 🤯  It can be boiled, barbecued, baked, fried… the list goes on. In fact, the Portuguese eat around 1 million kilos of it every year! At a ConsoadaChristmas Eve dinner , for example, bacalhau is usually served as the main dish with boiled potatoes and vegetables.
Let’s look a bit deeper into Portugal’s love affair with bacalhau… ❤️🐟

Buying bacalhau in Portugal

portuguese fish
If you walk into any Portuguese supermarket, you will, sem dúvidawithout a doubt , catch a whiff of the pungent-smelling cod coming from the fish section. Bacalhau is basically codfish that has been salted and dried so that it may be preserved for longer periods of time. When you’re ready to prepare it, it needs to be soaked in freshwater for at least 24 hours. The water also needs to be frequently changed so that some of o salthe salt is removed.

So they must catch a lot of codfish in Portugal, right?

I bet you are thinking bacalhau is caught off the Portuguese coast, but… surprise! It is actually imported from a NoruegaNorway and IslândiaIceland. This is because salted cod cannot be found along the coastline of Portugal, only off the Newfoundland shores. The seas around Portugal are full of sardinhassardines , another popular fish!

How did this bacalhau-craze begin?

It actually began during the Descobrimentos PortuguesesPortuguese discoveries, Age of Exploration in the 15th to 18th centuries. The Portuguese explorers were the ones who introduced bacalhau into Portuguese cuisine. Os marinheirosSailors wanted the fish to stay fresh on the journey home, so they sun-dried and salted the cod caught in Newfoundland.

Portuguese Bacalhau Recipes

Let’s look at some of the most famous and popular recipes involving bacalhau.

Pasteis de bacalhau

These little savoury treats are more of a side dish or starter. They are basically small cod cakes made with cod fish, eggs, parsley, onion, garlic and mashed potatoes. They are then deep fried and sometimes served warm as an appetizer. You can find these in almost all little cafes and restaurants, but they are also not too difficult to make at home. If you go to a Portuguese gathering, we can almost guarantee you there will be some pasteis de bacalhau there!

Bacalhau com natas

(Okay, you will probably need quite a lot of space in your tummy for this one)
Literally “cod with cream”, it is an oven baked dish consisting of layers of diced-fried potato, cream, onions, and, of course, bacalhau. It’s baked until bubbling and until the colour on top turns a bit more brownish. This dish is a little more time consuming, but definitely worth it, especially during colder months. In Portugal we see it as a kind of comfort food.

Bacalhau à Brás

This one is usually on every Portuguese menu. It’s an all time favourite in Lisbon. It consists of onions, garlic, crispy thin potatoes, and shredded bacalhau, all put together with scrambled eggs. Usually olives and parsley are added on top. The delicious combination of flavours creates a really satisfying dish. It is believed to have originated in the famous Bairro Alto of Lisbon.

Bacalhau à Lagareiro

(This is also known as bacalhau assado com batatas no forno). This is a simple roasted codfish recipe involving baked or boiled potatoes , baked codfish, doused in olive oil and usually accompanied with fresh parsley, olives, sautéed onions or red peppers. The olive oil really makes the dish in this recipe. Talk about mouth-watering!

Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá

This bacalhau recipe is made with salt cod, potatoes, onions, hard boiled eggs, olives and olive oil. All the ingredients are layered in a pan with the eggs and olives on top. It’s traditionally served on Good Friday, but the Portuguese eat it all year round because it’s so tasty.
And of course… there are hundreds of other recipes, but we would be here all day and night if we showed you all of them. Let us know in the comments if you have a favourite bacalhau dish!

Comments

  • My yearly visits to Portugal from the UK –

    Always hated the pungent smell of cod in supermarkets when I was young… as with age youi learn to put things in context… I now appreciate it, thank you for this wonderful insight. I learned a lot

  • So, I’m new to Portugal and I see the giant slabs of salted, dried cod. My question is HOW do you purchase it? By the pound? Eu so falo um pouco de Portugues, so how do I order it? I know what to do with it once I get it home… In the States I would buy it in little boxes packed in salt in just the right portion size. Thanks.

    • You pay by weight (not pounds, but kilograms), so you can order it also by weight. If weight/cost is not too much of a concern, you can also order it by the unit and then you’ll pay the corresponding weight of 2 whole bacalhaus or something 🙂 Here’s what you could say, for example:
      – Queria dois quilos de bacalhau, por favor. (by weight)
      – Queria dois bacalhaus inteiros, por favor. (by unit)
      If necessary, they’ll cut it in the necessary portions to meet your approximate weight requirement.

Any questions? Post a comment below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


The subject is used only for admin purposes and won't be displayed in your comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.