Bacalhau a bras, a delicious lunch, dinner, or even brunch dish is from the classic restaurant Bota Alta, in Lisbon’s Bairro Alto district.
Bacalhau a Bras ~ Salt Cod, Potatoes & Eggs
This delicious lunch, dinner, or even brunch dish is from the classic restaurant Bota Alta, in Lisbon's Bairro Alto district.
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried salt cod, soaked overnight and cooked
- 7 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into matchstick-size strips (about 6 cups)
- 1 large onion, thinly sliced
- 1 bay leaf
- 8 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves, divided
- 18 black or green olives
Instructions
- Flake the fish, discarding any bones.
- Heat 4 tablespoons of the oil in a heavy, large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the potatoes in batches and saute until crisp and golden, about 7 minutes per batch. Transfer the potatoes to paper towels to drain.
- Add 1 tablespoon of the oil to the same skillet. Add the onion and bay leaf and saute until golden, about 15 minutes. Discard the bay leaf.
- Reduce the heat to low. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the onion slices in the skillet. Mix in the fish and potatoes.
- Whisk the eggs, the 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl to blend. Add the egg mixture and 3 tablespoons of the parsley to the fish mixture in the skillet. Cook over medium heat until the eggs are softly set, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes.
- Transfer the eggs to a platter. Garnish with the olives and the remaining 1 tablespoon parsley.
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Nutrition
Serving: 1 portionCalories: 572 kcalCarbohydrates: 24 gProtein: 59 gFat: 26 gSaturated Fat: 5 gMonounsaturated Fat: 16 gTrans Fat: 1 gCholesterol: 363 mgSodium: 5738 mgFiber: 2 gSugar: 2 g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Recipe © 2018 David Leite. Photo © 2018 David Leite. All rights reserved.
Where Can I Find Bacalhau?
Salt cod is available at Portuguese markets, Italian markets as baccalà, and at Spanish markets as bacalao.
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Our favorite supplier is Portugalia Marketplace in Fall River, MA. They have amazing Norwegian salted cod, which is what I get everything I visit my mom. But if you aren’t in the South Coast region of Massachusetts, Portugalia ships.
I used deep-frozen Rösti (about 200 grams per person) as a base, and fresh cod (about 100 grams per person) just cooked a few minutes in water and flaked.
I used one small onion per person with ground bay leaves. I seasoned the cod with fish seasoning, and used 1.5 whisked eggs per person with some yellow curry.
I cooked it all in one nonstick skillet: I cooked the Rösti until crisp, the onions until glazed, and the cod until it got a little bit crusty. Then I added the egg and cooked for about 10 minutes at low heat. Sprinkled with some garden cress.
Hi, Leopold. Talk about a reinvention! I love the ingenuity of using the frozen Rösti as a shortcut for the potatoes—that’s a truly brilliant weeknight hack. I have to say, swapping fresh cod for cured salt cod (and adding curry!) definitely takes this out of the realm of traditional Bacalhau à Brás and into entirely new territory. You miss a bit of that signature chew and savory depth that comes from the curing process, but it sounds like you created a delicious, resourceful cod hash in its own right. The garden cress is a lovely, peppery finish, too. Thanks for sharing your method!!
Hello: I am cooking for my Portuguese in-laws, and will serve this as an appetizer. Can any of it be made in advance? For example, can I make some or all of it beforehand and freeze for defrosting on the day before? Thanks for any Information you can provide.
Deborah, You can get a head start on some of this dish. The salt cod can be soaked, cooked, and flaked a day or two ahead. The onions can also be sautéed in advance and refrigerated. The potatoes, on the other hand, are best fried fresh for that crisp texture. If you must prep ahead, you could try frying them and freezing—but I’d recommend a quick bake or air-fry before serving to revive the crunch. Still, it’s not my recommendation.
I wouldn’t recommend fully assembling and freezing the entire dish, as eggs definitely get rubbery after freezing.
So, my plan of attack would be:
1. Soak, cook, and flake the salt cod a few days ahead. Refrigerate.
2. Cook and refrigerate the onions a few days ahead. Refrigerate.
3. Fry the potatoes and make the eggs right before serving.
Let me know how it goes—and boa sorte to the in-laws!
I have been trying your wonderful recipes in the past few months, and every one of them has been a success. They are better recipes than the ones from a cookbook I bought at the famous Lello Bookstore in Porto. Thank you.
Roseana, what a lovely note—thank you so much! I’m truly honored that my recipes have outshone even those from the famous Lello Bookstore (which, let’s be honest, is more beautiful than a bookstore should be!). It means the world to me that you’ve been cooking along and finding success. Muito obrigado! Please keep cooking and sharing—it’s readers like you who make this all worthwhile.