Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá is a very popular Portuguese dish made with bacalhau (salted cod), caramelised onions, potatoes, hard boiled eggs and black olives. The dish was named after José Luís Gomes de Sá who was the son of a rich cod merchant who had gone bankrupted in the 19th century. He created this dish while he worked at Restaurante Lisbonense in Porto.
The Portuguese believes there are at least 365 different ways of cooking bacalhau, and so you can have one for every day of the year. This dish appears to be one of those that everybody knows.
Bacalhau has been produced for more than 500 years. It was the best way of preserving the cod fish before the advent of refrigeration. It is a national obsession in Portugal, and has played an important part in their history and culture. The best bacalhau actually comes from Norway. Try to look for one of those which is a big, fat piece which does not seem to be very dry. Before cooking, bacalhau needs to be soaked in cold water to remove the salt and to be rehydrated. Soak it for at least two or three days, depending on its thickness. Change the water a few times (three to four times) each day.
Ingredients
- 500g bacalhau (salted cod)
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 4 onions, thinly sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 400g potatoes, skinned and thinly sliced, washed to remove the excess starch and dried
- 3 organic or free range eggs
- A handful of black olives, pitted and sliced
- A handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley
- Extra-virgin olive oil to serve
Instructions
- Rinse the bacalhau under running water and place it in a bowl. Add cold water until it is completely immersed. Cover the bowl with cling film and place it in a refrigerator. Change the water 3-4 times a day, and rinse the bacalhau with running water each time the water is changed. Soak the bacalhau for 2-3 days until it is sufficiently redydrated and desalted.
- Place the bacalhau in a saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and leave for 20 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool. Flake the cod into big chunks. Remove any bones and skin. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 190°C.
- Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over low heat. Add the onions and cook gently for about 10 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Increase the heat and fry the onions so that they are caramelised and sweet. Remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Grease an ovenproof baking dish generously with oil. Make an even layer of potatoes on the bottom of the dish. Add a layer of half of the bacalhu, followed by another one of half of the onions. Repeat the layers, finishing with a layer of onions. Cover the dish with an aluminium foil.
- Bake the dish in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove the aluminium foil and bake for another 15 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.
- Meanwhile, put the eggs in a saucepan of cold water, ensuring that they are fully covered. Bring the water to the boil over high heat. Turn off the heat. Cover the saucepan and leave for 10 minutes. Then put the eggs in iced water to stop them cooking further and peel them once cool. Cut the eggs into quarters.
- Remove the baking dish from the oven. Scatter the eggs, olives and parsley on top. Serve hot with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.
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