A copper pot of bacalhau a Bras--or Portuguese scrambled eggs, salt cod, potatoes, onions, olives, and parsley.

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Bacalhau a bras, a delicious lunch, dinner, or even brunch dish is from the classic restaurant Bota Alta, in Lisbon’s Bairro Alto district.

TL;DR (Quick-Answer Box)

  • What it is: A legendary Portuguese comfort dish featuring shredded salt cod, hand-cut matchstick potatoes, and sautéed onions bound together in creamy, softly scrambled eggs.
  • Why you’ll love it: It is the ultimate salty-savory-crispy hybrid. Perfect for a soul-warming lunch or dinner, it delivers authentic Lisbon restaurant flavor at home.
  • How to make it: Fry potato matchsticks until golden, sauté onions with bay leaf, then toss with flaked cod and eggs until just set. Garnish with olives.
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Golden scrambled eggs with salt cod and matchstick potatoes in a copper pot, topped with black olives.

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A copper pot of bacalhau a Bras--or Portuguese scrambled eggs, salt cod, potatoes, onions, olives, and parsley.

Bacalhau a Bras ~ Salt Cod, Potatoes & Eggs

4.80 / 35 votes
This delicious lunch, dinner, or even brunch dish is from the classic restaurant Bota Alta, in Lisbon's Bairro Alto district.
David Leite
Print
CourseMains
CuisinePortuguese
Servings6 servings
Calories572 kcal
Prep Time45 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 15 minutes

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.

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About David Leite

I’ve received three James Beard Awards for my writing as well as for Leite’s Culinaria. I’m the author of The New Portuguese Table and Notes on a Banana. For more than 25 years, I’ve been developing and testing recipes for my site, my books, and publications. My work has also appeared in the New York Times, Martha Stewart Living, Saveur, Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, Yankee, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, and more. I’m also a cooking teacher, memoirist, and inveterate cat lady.

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Recipe Rating




57 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Found a Portuguese market near my house in Fremont, CA I had no idea existed! Picked up a couple pounds of Bacalhau and made the bacalhau a bras recipe from here and it turned out delicious! We visit Portugal every year to see family and this recipe is spot on to what I eat in Portugal. Thank you very much!!

    Reply

  2. 5 stars
    Ok, my sister made this for us when we visited her in Spain this summer. I had never eaten or heard of this wonderful recipe. Of course, I knew I would find the recipe here and it was just like the first time I had it!!! Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe!

    Reply

    1. Connie, this is one of my all-time favorite Portuguese recipes. I’m delighted you enjoyed it, too!

      Reply

  3. Hi!!!!!
    On the page of Jamie Oliver they post a recipe of Bacalhau a Bras totaly wrong. Can I post your recipe as comment in his page, so they can learn how to do properly? Thank you. I’m Portuguese, and I can’t watch a chef like Jamie do this to culinary portuguese…

    Olá!!!!
    Na pagina do Jamie Oliver puseram uma receita de Bacalhau a Bras completamente errada. Posso por a sua receita como comentario no site dele, para ele aprender? Obrigada. Sou portuguesa, e não consigo ve um chef como o Jamie a fazer o que fez a culinaria portuguesa…

    Reply

    1. Raquel, thank you for the kind words. Please post a link to this page, not the recipe, on the comment section. Muito obrigado!

      Reply