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Bacalhau à Brás
Serves 4 Prep 20 min Cook 25 min Total 45 min Type Meal Origin Portuguese

Bacalhau à Brás

Lisbon's most-loved bacalhau: shredded salt cod scrambled with matchstick fries, soft caramelised onion, eggs and parsley, held by the egg.

Serves 4 Prep 20 minutes (plus overnight desalting) Cook 25 minutes Units Rate

Overview

Bacalhau à Brás is the dish Portugal turns to when the salt cod, the onions and the eggs all need to find their place in one pan: scrambled together with a tangle of fine matchstick chips so the whole thing reads as somewhere between a hash and a loose carbonara. The salt cod needs the usual day or two of cold soaks to draw the salt down, then a brief simmer to soften it; the onions take their time in olive oil with a few smashed garlic cloves until almost jam-like; the matchstick chips (palha) are fried separately so they stay crisp. Everything comes together in a wide pan, the eggs are whisked in over a low heat, and you stop the moment the eggs coat the cod and potato like a sauce. Never let them set firm. Olives, parsley and a wedge of lemon at the table.

Ingredients

  • 600 g salt cod (bacalhau)
  • 600 g potatoes (cut into matchsticks, 4-5 mm thick - palha cut)
  • Vegetable oil (for deep-frying - about 800 ml)
  • 5 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 onions (large, sliced thin)
  • 6 garlic cloves (crushed)
  • 6 eggs (large, lightly beaten)
  • 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • A small bunch flat-leaf parsley (chopped)

To serve

  • A handful of black olives (oil-cured)
  • 1 lemon (cut into wedges)

Method

Stage 1 - Desalt the cod

  1. Rinse the salt cod under cold running water 2 minutes.
  2. Place in a large bowl; cover with cold water by 5 cm.
  3. Refrigerate 24-48 hours, changing the water every 6-8 hours. Taste a small piece on the second day - it should be lightly salted, not aggressively so.

Stage 2 - Poach and shred

  1. Bring a wide pan of fresh water to a gentle simmer.
  2. Add the desalted cod; poach 5 minutes (don't boil hard or it goes tough).
  3. Lift out; cool slightly. Pull the flesh from the skin and bones; flake into small shreds. Set aside.

Stage 3 - Fry the potatoes

  1. Heat the vegetable oil in a deep pan to 175°C.
  2. Fry the matchstick potatoes in 2-3 batches for 3-4 minutes per batch until pale gold and crisp.
  3. Drain on kitchen paper. Salt lightly. (Or: use ready-made shoestring fries to save time - about 200 g of pre-fried.)

Stage 4 - Onions

  1. Heat the olive oil in a wide heavy pan over medium-low heat.
  2. Add the onions; cook 12-15 minutes until very soft and lightly golden.
  3. Stir in the garlic; cook 1 minute.

Stage 5 - Combine

  1. Add the shredded cod to the onions; toss for 1 minute.
  2. Add the fried potato sticks; toss to combine.

Stage 6 - Eggs

  1. Reduce the heat to low.
  2. Beat the eggs with the salt and black pepper.
  3. Pour into the pan; stir gently and continuously with a wooden spoon for 1-2 minutes - the eggs should just-coat everything, like a loose risotto, never fully set.

Stage 7 - Serve

  1. Off the heat, stir in most of the parsley.
  2. Pile onto plates; top with olives, the remaining parsley, and a wedge of lemon.
  3. Eat immediately.

Notes

  • Don't overcook the eggs: This is the make-or-break step. Pull off the heat the moment the eggs look just-set; they'll continue cooking from residual heat. Hard-scrambled eggs ruin the dish.
  • Matchstick fries, not chips: Thin shoestring fries are correct; thick chips give a stodgy result. Pre-fried at 175°C for 3-4 minutes is right.
  • Quality of salt cod matters: Look for thick centre-cut bacalhau at Portuguese / Mediterranean grocers. Frozen bacalhau is fine; vacuum-pack supermarket varieties tend to be over-salted scraps.

Storage

  • Best fresh; the eggs go rubbery on reheat. Eat the day made.

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