Bacalhau a Gomes de Sa
Marcel Proust had his madeleine. David Leite has his Portuguese salt cod, potato, and egg casserole.
2 hrs 10 mins
Salt Cod ~ Bacalhau
Well, bakers, I finally did it. I improved on my pastel de nata recipe. I took me the better part of a year, but I crafted a recipe that 1.) is way easier to make (none of that endless rolling), 2.) has a creamer, foolproof custard that doesn’t curdle, 3.) sports more frilly, crispy layers, and 4.) can be frozen and enjoyed whenever your heart desires.
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All-Time Favorites
Pastéis de Nata ~ Portuguese Custard Tarts
Not Portuguese? Not a problem. It won’t lessen your appreciation for these little lovelies with the shatteringly crisp pastry cradling ridiculously creamy custard.
2 hrs 30 mins
Portuguese Orange Olive Oil Cake
This classic Portuguese dessert with its tender crumb and citrus smack tastes as stunning as it looks. Swear.
1 hr 30 mins
Milk Mayonnaise
Maionese de leite in Portuguese, milk mayonnaise–you heard us–is a creamy, eggless emulsion held together by oil, milk (natch), and a lotta love.
5 mins
Portuguese Pork and Clams ~ Porco Alentejana
A specialty of Portugal that’s a superbly comforting and oh-so-satisfying dish of marinated pork shoulder and briny clams in a white wine and red pepper sauce.
4 hrs
Soup ~ Sopa
Portuguese Bean Soup
A leisurely way to make a super comforting and filling soup that makes rainy days more bearable. And the leftovers are even better.
5 hrs 30 mins
Caldo Verde ~ Portuguese Green Soup
Considered Portugal’s national dish, caldo verde, or green soup, is a homey dish of potatoes, kale sliced whisker thin, and smoky pork sausage.
1 hr 5 mins
Portuguese White Gazpacho with Crab
This pale Portuguese-inspired soup and salad makes up for in taste what it lacks in tradition.
30 mins
Portuguese Fennel Soup
Fennel soup, or sopa de funcho in Portuguese, is a staple in Madeira and the Azores Islands. This recipe is full of fennel, pork, sausage, cabbage, and beans.
2 hrs
Shrimp ~ Camarão
Grilled Shrimp with Piri-Piri Sauce
A simple hot pepper sauce made from piri-piri peppers brings big flavor to shrimp in mere minutes. Those Portuguese know what they’re doing.
3 hrs
Portuguese Shrimp Turnovers ~ Rissóis de Camarão
A Portuguese classic, these diminutive shrimp turnovers boast a filling that’s creamy and comforting yet made interesting with a little heat. All tidily packaged in fried dough.
2 hrs
Portuguese Bread Soup with Shrimp ~ Açorda de Mariscos
Known as Açorda de Mariscos in Portugal, this robust “soup” of shrimp, bread, and rice is a satiating meal in a bowl.
1 hr 30 mins
Fish & Seafood
Portuguese Clams with Vinho Verde ~ Amêijoas à Bulhão Pato
A poetic take on fresh clams simmered in white wine. This comforting Portuguese classic is sorta the epitome of simple done well.
45 mins
Portuguese Fisherman’s Stew
All the iconic ingredients of Portugal—shellfish, cod, sausage, onion, garlic, and tomatoes—collide in this delicious stew.
1 hr 35 mins
Portuguese Fish Chowder
An intoxicatingly aromatic Portuguese classic that’s a tomato-based combo of stew and soup and chowder made of fish, potatoes, and chorizo.
2 hrs 15 mins
Portuguese Salt Cod with Garlic-Pepper Sauce
Few things are as Portuguese as fried salt cod served with a garlic and red pepper sauce. It’s a specialty of the Azores. Tasting is believing.
20 mins
Desserts ~ Sobremesa
Portuguese Sweet Lemon-Black Olive Cookies
We think these conversation-starting cookies defy the laws of physics. When you experience what big flavors they flaunt for something so thin, we think you, too, will be convinced.
50 mins
Serradura ~ Portuguese Sawdust Pudding
Perhaps the easiest dessert ever, this simple yet stunning Portuguese staple is made with just three ingredients. Cookies. Cream. And sweetened condensed milk.
1 d 30 mins
Portuguese Chocolate Salami
An easy, no-bake, Portuguese classic made with crushed cookies, confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder, and whatever nuts or dried fruit you happen to have around. And (hiccup) Port.
2 hrs
Portuguese Mini Lemon-Orange Cakes ~ Queques
These diminutive queques are flavored with a hint of citrus that’s equally welcome at breakfast, tea, or any other hour of the day, quite frankly.
45 mins
FAQs about Salt Cod
Because salt cod is one of Portugal’s iconic foods, many think the Portuguese were instrumental in its discovery, which, alas, they weren’t. Nearly five hundred years before the Portuguese began fishing for cod in the Grand Banks off the coast of Newfoundland, the Vikings had stumbled upon one of the world’s largest caches of cod and figured out how to air-dry the fish.
The reason why salt cod is so prized in the Portuguese community, besides being a cheap and shelf-stable staple, is because the drying and salting give a superior taste and texture to an otherwise characterless fish. When a meaty slab of bacalhau is properly desalted and cooked, it will flake perfectly and have just the slightest toothsomeness.
What should I look for when buying bacalhau?
Look for salt cod, preferably from Norway, in Portuguese, Italian, Greek, Spanish, or Latin markets. I’ve also had very good luck with several online purveyors. Buy the thickest, firmest pieces possible; they’ll make for a more substantial meal and a prettier presentation.
How do you desalt salt cod?
To reconstitute the bacalhau, rinse it well under running water to remove surface salt. Place the pieces in a large bowl and cover with cold water by 2 inches. Stretch plastic wrap over the top and refrigerate, changing the water several times, until the fish is sufficiently desalted for you. Take a nibble—it’s perfectly safe to eat. If it’s too salty, change the water again, and let it sit for a few more hours. The process can take anywhere from 12 to 48 hours, depending on the size of the fillet. Above all, bear this in mind: you can always add more salt, but you can’t remove it from a finished dish.
All Portuguese
Ooni Pizza with Portuguese Sausage and Cheese
This Ooni pizza with Portuguese sausage and sheep's cheese has a smoky, spicy flavor that is great for pizza Fridays.
12 hrs
Homemade Portuguese Chouriço
If you've got some time, patience, and access to a smoker, homemade smoked Portuguese sausage is within your reach. Go on. Impress your friends.
2 d
Portuguese Smashed Potatoes ~ Batatas à Murro
Portuguese smashed potatoes are a spectacular way to update that same-old side dish. Crisp outside, tender inside, and doused with salty garlic and oil.
1 hr 15 mins
Portuguese Bean Soup
A leisurely way to make a super comforting and filling soup that makes rainy days more bearable. And the leftovers are even better.
5 hrs 30 mins
Macanese Portuguese-Inspired Chicken Curry
Richly flavored, not too spicy, and umami-packed, this curry won rave reviews from our testers. The sauce is perfectly suited to mopping up with piles of naan bread, too.
2 hrs 30 mins
Portuguese Clams with Vinho Verde ~ Amêijoas à Bulhão Pato
A poetic take on fresh clams simmered in white wine. This comforting Portuguese classic is sorta the epitome of simple done well.
45 mins
Broa ~ Portuguese Corn Bread
A traditional Portuguese cornbread that's unlike its American counterpart. There's nothing crumbly about it although there is a heck of a lot to love about it.
4 hrs 15 mins
Portuguese Sausage, Ham, and Cheese Bread
A traditional bread that's heavily punctuated with Portuguese loveliness, including chouriço, presunto, and sheep's milk cheese. Practically a meal unto itself. And a damn satiating one at that.
3 hrs 10 mins
Portuguese Green Olive Dip
For this dip, green olives are stirred into an eggless 'mayonnaise' made with milk, oil, anchovies, garlic, and white pepper. A tasty Portuguese olive dip.
5 mins
Portuguese Onions, Chestnuts, and Bacon
This sautéed onions, chestnuts, and bacon recipe is a salty, caramel-y, and unexpectedly ideal-y mashup of ingredients as a Thanksgiving side dish.
30 mins
Portuguese Shrimp Turnovers ~ Rissóis de Camarão
A Portuguese classic, these diminutive shrimp turnovers boast a filling that's creamy and comforting yet made interesting with a little heat. All tidily packaged in fried dough.
2 hrs
Bacalhau a Gomes de Sa
Marcel Proust had his madeleine. David Leite has his Portuguese salt cod, potato, and egg casserole.
2 hrs 10 mins
Portuguese Fisherman’s Stew
All the iconic ingredients of Portugal—shellfish, cod, sausage, onion, garlic, and tomatoes—collide in this delicious stew.
1 hr 35 mins
Portuguese Piri-Piri Hot Sauce
Hot, spicy chiles are the heart and heat of this piri-piri sauce, which is used on chicken, shrimp, pork—just about any dish in Portugal.
5 mins
Papo Secos ~ Portuguese Rolls
David explains how to make classic Portuguese papo secos, the stuff of everyday eating, that essentially look like cherubic little baby buns and have a taste that's also divine.
4 hrs
Bifanas ~ Portuguese Pork Sandwiches
In the pantheon of great Portuguese foods, there are few sandwiches that are more superlative than the bifana. Essentially pork, bread, and sauce, it's comfort food at its simplest.
2 hrs
Serradura ~ Portuguese Sawdust Pudding
Perhaps the easiest dessert ever, this simple yet stunning Portuguese staple is made with just three ingredients. Cookies. Cream. And sweetened condensed milk.
1 d 30 mins
Portuguese Pork and Clams ~ Porco Alentejana
A specialty of Portugal that's a superbly comforting and oh-so-satisfying dish of marinated pork shoulder and briny clams in a white wine and red pepper sauce.
4 hrs
Portuguese Clams and Sausage
Clams, spicy sausage, onions, tomatoes, garlic, and aromatics meld in the Portuguese equivalent of a wok (or whatever pot you happen to have handy).
35 mins
Portuguese Chocolate Salami
An easy, no-bake, Portuguese classic made with crushed cookies, confectioners' sugar, cocoa powder, and whatever nuts or dried fruit you happen to have around. And (hiccup) Port.
2 hrs
