For Christmas Eve supper, make plenty of this favorite easy-to-make dish.–Edite Vieira
Christmas Eve Cod ~ Bacalhau da Consoada
This Portuguese Christmas Eve cod, called bacalhau de consoada, calls for salt cod, potatoes, cabbage and hard-boiled eggs. it’s a simple, humble, traditional dish.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds salt cod, cut into 6 or 8 fillets, soaked for 24 hours
- 1 1/2 pounds potatoes, boiled in their skins and peeled while still hot
- 1 large head cabbage, cut into 8 pieces (or 8 large kale leaves), blanched until just tender
- 12 hard-boiled eggs, sliced in half
For the sauce
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, per person
- 1 clove garlic, per person, minced
- 1 teaspoon wine vinegar, per person (or less to taste)
Instructions
- Fill with a large pot with enough boiling water to cover the fish by several inches. Cover the pan with a heavy dishtowel and leave the cod to soak in the hot water for 30 minutes. (If the fish isn’t cooked fully, simmer gently until finished.) Drain the cod, and remove any bits of skin or bone.
- To make the sauce, bring the oil and garlic to a boil in a small saucepan, remove from the heat, add the vinegar, beat well and serve in a sauceboat.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 portionCalories: 796 kcalCarbohydrates: 33 gProtein: 113 gFat: 22 gSaturated Fat: 5 gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3 gMonounsaturated Fat: 10 gCholesterol: 603 mgSodium: 10798 mgPotassium: 3167 mgFiber: 8 gSugar: 9 gVitamin A: 938 IUVitamin C: 104 mgCalcium: 390 mgIron: 7 mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Recipe © 2000 Edite Vieira. Photo © 2016 ReceitasNaBimby. All rights reserved.
For the sauce, just use extra-virgin olive oil and white wine vinager. If you like, you can add some thin slices garlic. But don’t heat the sauce. Just pour directly from the bottle!
Thank you, António!
My best friend since 7th grade (we are now 53 and still best friends) is from Brazil. Her father from Lisbon, Portugal, her Mother from Sao Paulo. I have fond memories of having Christmas Eve dinner at their home many, many times. They served this dish and it was delicious!!! I cannot seem to get it to taste exactly like theirs. My friend tells me the secret is in the salted cod. Her father put garlic on the plate as well. Yummy!!
Hello, Lisa. It’s amazing what power food has to poke our memories, isn’t it?
I, too, have had this dish many times on Christmas Eve. It’s simply and lovely.
About not being able to get the same taste, my guess is, like most cooks, her mother had her own way with the dish and put in something of her own. In my family, there are some dishes all my aunts and my mother make, and we can tell exactly who cooked which version because of the taste or texture. Is your friend’s mom still alive?
No, unfortunately she is not. Thank you for your reply.
I can say that you want to buy the best, thickest salt cod you can. I’ve had extremely good luck with Portugalia Marketplace.
Landed here after searching for potato recipes. Of course I HAD to read this traditional meal and if anyone out there (especially non-portuguese or portuguese descent) attempts to try this, something we always do which really adds a nice taste to this dish is mince the garlic real small, add it to each person’s plate, then add the olive oil and about a teaspoon of sweet paprika. We mixed it all well prior to adding the cod, potatoes, egg, cabbage, etc.
Sofia, thanks for the suggestion. I’ve never had it that way, but I certainly know what I’m going to do the next time I make this!