Bacalhau com GrãoSalt Cod with Chickpeas

Bacalhau com grão is salt cod served with chickpeas, boiled potatoes and eggs, then dressed at the table with olive oil, garlic and vinegar. It's one of the plainest bacalhau dishes in Portugal and one of the most loved, eaten warm in winter, on Good Friday in many homes, and cold as a salad in summer.

Everything depends on two things. The cod must be poached gently, never boiled hard, so it comes apart in big, juicy flakes. And the dressing goes on while everything is still warm, so the chickpeas and potatoes drink it up.

The recipe

Bacalhau com GrãoSalt Cod with Chickpeas

Bacalhau com grão: poached salt cod with chickpeas, potatoes and boiled eggs, dressed with olive oil, garlic, raw onion and parsley. Simple and filling.

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Prep15 min

Cook30 min

Total45 min

Serves4

Ingredients

MetricUS

Serves

4

½×1×2×3×

• 4 thick salt cod loins (about 700 g after soaking), soaked (see note)
• 2 x 400 g tins chickpeas, drained, or 250 g dried chickpeas, soaked overnight and cooked
• 600 g waxy potatoes, peeled and halved
• 4 eggs
• 1 small onion, very finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 120 ml olive oil
• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• Black pepper

Method

1. Put the potatoes in a large pot of cold water, bring to the boil and cook for 15 minutes.
2. Lower the eggs into the same pot and cook for 10 more minutes, until the potatoes are tender and the eggs hard-boiled. Lift out the eggs, cool them in cold water and peel.
3. In a wide pan, bring enough water to cover the cod to a gentle simmer. Add the cod, turn the heat down so the water barely trembles and poach for 8–10 minutes, until the flakes separate easily.
4. Warm the chickpeas in a little of the cod water for 3–4 minutes, then drain.
5. Mix the onion, garlic, parsley, olive oil and vinegar in a jug with plenty of black pepper.
6. Arrange the cod, potatoes, chickpeas and halved eggs on a warm platter. Pour the dressing over everything and serve straight away, with more olive oil and vinegar on the table.

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.

Soaking and choosing the cod

Thick loins (lombos) need 36–48 hours of soaking in cold water in the fridge, changing the water 3–4 times. Our guide to soaking bacalhau has the times for every cut. A thick, white loin gives the best flakes; thin tail pieces dry out.

Warm dish or cold salad

The warm version is a main course. For salada de grão com bacalhau, flake the poached cod, let everything cool, toss with the dressing and chill for an hour. It's a classic on a petiscos night and keeps well for lunch the next day.

What to serve with it

Some families add boiled couve (cabbage or greens) or a sliced red pepper. Bread for the oily dressing at the bottom of the plate is essential. For more ideas see our bacalhau recipes roundup, or try bacalhau à Gomes de Sá for a baked version.

From the shop

What you’ll need

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