Bacalhau à BrásSalt Cod with Eggs and Potatoes

People say there are 365 ways to cook bacalhau in Portugal, and Brás is the one most Lisbon tascas have on the menu. It's comfort food: flaked salt cod and onions tossed with crispy matchstick potatoes, then folded into eggs that are cooked just until they turn creamy.

The secret is timing. Take the pan off the heat before the eggs look done. They keep cooking on the way to the table.

The recipe

Bacalhau à BrásSalt Cod with Eggs and Potatoes

Lisbon's favourite salt cod dish: flaked bacalhau, matchstick potatoes and onions, bound with barely-set eggs and finished with olives and parsley.

Print Pin Share

Prep20 min

Cook20 min

Total40 min

Serves4

Ingredients

MetricUS

Serves

4

½×1×2×3×

• 400 g soaked salt cod (see our pastéis de bacalhau recipe for how to soak it)
• 400 g potatoes, cut into fine matchsticks, or 150 g shop-bought potato sticks (batata palha)
• 2 large onions, thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, sliced
• 6 eggs
• 6 tbsp olive oil
• Oil for frying the potatoes (if making your own)
• 1 small bunch parsley, chopped
• A handful of black olives
• Black pepper

Method

1. If you're making your own potato sticks, rinse the matchsticks, dry them very well and fry in batches in hot oil until golden. Drain on paper towels. You can also air fry them at 200 °C for 12–15 minutes with a light spray of oil, shaking often.
2. Poach the cod in barely simmering water for 5 minutes. Drain, remove skin and bones, and flake it into thin shreds.
3. Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick pan over medium heat. Cook the onions for 10 minutes until soft and golden, adding the garlic for the last minute.
4. Add the cod and stir for 2–3 minutes so it absorbs the oil.
5. Add the potatoes and toss everything together.
6. Beat the eggs with plenty of black pepper. Pour them into the pan, lower the heat and fold gently for 1–2 minutes. Take the pan off the heat while the eggs still look slightly wet.
7. Stir in most of the parsley. Serve at once, topped with olives and the rest of the parsley.

Notes

Clear ticks

Tap ingredients and steps to tick them off. Scaling changes the quantities at the start of each line; check the rest by eye.

Cutting the potatoes

Proper fine matchsticks take ages with a knife. A julienne mandoline does it in a minute, but always use the hand guard or cut-resistant gloves. Shop-bought batata palha is what plenty of Portuguese home cooks use on a weeknight, and there's no shame in it.

From the shop

What you’ll need

Links go to Amazon, where you can check today’s price. If you buy, we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Amazon best seller

CAROTE 12-inch non-stick frying pan

A top-selling non-stick pan, ideal for bacalhau à Brás, where the eggs must slide.

Tip: Use wooden or silicone tools to protect the coating.

View on Amazon

Portuguese

Casafina Pacifica stoneware bowl

Hand-glazed Portuguese stoneware with a rustic, reactive finish. Each piece looks slightly different.

Tip: Microwave- and dishwasher-safe, unlike a lot of handmade pottery.

View on Amazon

Portuguese

Lisboeta by Nuno Mendes

Lisbon's food in a beautiful hardback by Portuguese chef Nuno Mendes: tascas, petiscos and city classics.

Tip: A lovely gift for anyone who fell for Lisbon.

View on Amazon