Bacalhau a Gomes de Sa

Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá recipe is quite familiar to me. At least twice a year it makes it to my table, and when I visit my family in the Azores yearly, there is always someone who cooks this for us. While it’s served as a casserole, either individual size or family-style in a baking dish, I’ve never actually made or had a version that was not all cooked separately then assembled.

This recipe intrigued me for it’s truly a one-dish preparation (except the onions and the eggs).

I also liked that the olives were pitted and sliced, as these are small olives and the pits can surprise you and not in a good way. I used Galega olives and wondered if my golden potato slices would be tinted but that was not a problem.

What I did find was that the Yukon gold potatoes retained a “bite” even after baking for 60 minutes and even though they were easy to spear with a fork, I would have enjoyed a creamier texture. I also missed parsley throughout the layers instead of just on top.

As for the egg layers, the top layer which was not baked was perfect. The layered egg slices, however, were slightly rubbery. The recipe just calls for hard-boiled eggs, but I forgot that these would be cooked again and fully cooked mine before baking in the casserole. Softer eggs however, would be more difficult to slice and then become mushy inside the layers.

For my next rendition of this recipe (yes, I will definitely make it again!), I would make 5-minute eggs, coarsely mash them, layer eggs and parsley, and use fully cooked egg slices at the end to finish the top. Even though the Yukon gold potatoes retained a bit too much bite, I wouldn’t exchange these because I also liked how the thin slices retained their shape. Next time, I would add another 10 minutes to the baking time.

The potato to cod and onion ratios were perfect. The quantities were also perfect for my 2-quart cast-iron Dutch oven. I also suspect that because I had 6 layers of potatoes in this pan, that would explain my needing a longer cook time.

Nonetheless, I wouldn’t sacrifice the presentation of this beautifully tall, layered cod casserole in my “cocotte” by making it in the usual shallow pan. Looking forward to serving this version with a few tweaks to my family on my next visit! I would “proudly carry the pot to the table,” and the easily recognizable flavors combined with the unexpected thin potato wafers will be sure to wow them!

Served this casserole with a fresh garden salad dressed with a red wine vinaigrette and a goblet of Valpolicella Ripassa for good measure. Sorry, Douro, was fresh out of reds from your region…next time for sure!

I love. Love. Love bacalhau. It is one of those food items that brings me both to my childhood and my adult life. I grew up in a place where having bacalhau meant both happiness and sorrow. We ate bacalhau to feed a big crowd at a party and we ate it while viewing the dead.

My husband is Portuguese, and from the moment I set foot in his country I fell in love with the food, more so with the 1001 ways to make bacalhau. I have made this recipe many times before, but this version, as a casserole, I have never seen ​or tried. I had to make it. It was a fun and long process​ and ​I enjoyed every minute of it.

I started by reconstituting the salt cod fish. I do mine for 36 hours as I like it a bit salty​ ​and not completely bland. This is something I ha​ve​ been doing over the years and I learned that is the right ​amount of ​time, at least for me.

Once ​the salted cod is ready it takes about 50 minutes to cook, cool​, ​and clean. During this time, I also cooked the eggs and placed them in an ice bath to peel later. I started with cold water and brought to a boil. Once the water comes to a boil I shut off the stove, covered the pan, and let the eggs sit for exactly 10 minutes. They come out perfect, every time.

I have an authentic Portuguese casserole and I was so happy to use it. As it says in the recipe, I took the casserole proudly to the table after letting it rest for a few minutes.

I added the parsley at the end as instructed but I added the eggs and the olives to each of the plates. I also added another drizzle of olive oil.

At the first bite, I was transported. Salt, creamy potatoes, eggs, it was incredible. The potatoes were tender and everything in this plate made sense. The casserole was not dry, the seasoning was spot on. I paired the casserole with a nice, not too sweet​,​ rosé I had on hand.

My husband and I enjoyed this dish very much. We are having leftovers tonight and I cannot wait ​for this beautiful flower pattern of potatoes and goodness.

I was pretty dubious about this bacalhau a Gomes de Sa recipe, which is why I tried it. We get salt fish easily here in the Caribbean because it’s a Jamaican staple and we have a significant Jamaican population, but to date, I had never actually used salt fish in any home cooking. So it really appealed to me to try it out, and I am SO GLAD I did (as is my partner)!

This is a super satisfying, perfectly balanced, one-dish meal that’s easy to make and will also make excellent leftovers. It takes a while to prep the salt fish, but it’s very little active prep time and is totally worth it.

I would happily prep and bring this dish to a dinner party; it looks simple, even humble, but with the first bite the flavor completely sweeps you off your feet.

I ended up with 4 layers of potatoes (which I had sliced to 1/8 inch thick using my mandoline), and I might try slightly thinner next time, but it layered perfectly into my dish. I had just enough!

Again, I was dubious, and given how long it took from start to finish, I would have been sad if it hadn’t turned out so well…but I have yet to be led astray by LC, and this is a win in my book.