Lunch
Bacalhau à Brás
Lunch
The most beloved Portuguese dish — shredded bacalhau with eggs, crispy potatoes, onions, garlic, and black olives. Portugal in a pan.
Ingredients
- 200 g Riberalves bacalhau (desalted), shredded into thin flakes
- 4 eggs
- 1 large onion, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 100 g batata palha (or 2 medium potatoes sliced very thin and fried crispy)
- Black olives, a handful
- 3 tbsp olive oil (generous!)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- If using batata palha from a packet, set it aside. If using fresh potatoes, slice them as thin as possible and fry in olive oil until golden and crispy. Remove and set aside on paper towel.
- Heat olive oil in the frying pan over medium heat. Add the sliced onion and cook for 3-4 minutes until soft and starting to turn golden.
- Add the garlic. Stir for 30 seconds.
- Add the shredded bacalhau. Stir gently and cook for 3-4 minutes until the cod is warmed through and starting to lightly colour.
- Beat the eggs in a cup with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Add the batata palha (or fried potatoes) to the pan. Mix gently with the bacalhau and onions.
- Pour the beaten eggs over everything. Stir gently and continuously with a spatula — like scrambled eggs. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the eggs are just set but still creamy. Do NOT overcook — the eggs should be soft, not dry.
- Scatter the black olives and fresh parsley on top.
- Serve immediately straight from the pan.
Notes
The secret is in the eggs — stir gently, keep them creamy, stop just before you think they're done. They keep cooking on the plate. Batata palha is traditional but if in France, slice potatoes paper-thin and fry until crispy as a substitute. Riberalves desalted bacalhau is perfect for this — just shred it with your fingers. Black olives are essential, not optional! This is Portugal's most loved bacalhau dish — serve with pride even in France. Chef Simão recipe 🇵🇹🍳
By Chef Claude