Behold, the Prato do Dia (Plate of the Day) at Mother-in-Law Restaurante: bacalhau com todos which translates literally to “codfish with everything”, except I can hear my husband say: “Bacalhau is not codfish in Portugal. It’s… bacalhau.” OK, then.
You’re probably looking at that plate and wondering how that could the word “everything” be used when the visible ingredients are just boiled egg, black-eyed peas, potato, and parsley. It could use more “everything” to liven up the plate. What you don’t see in the picture is what I forgot to photograph: a little bowl of parsley and another of chopped onion. They sound inconsequential, but as condiments they make bacalhau much more palatable because this dish is primarily boiled. (I think my mother-in-law just pops it into the oven only at the very end.)
Tip: since bacalhau can be very salty, I am generous with the vinegar and azeite (olive oil). Once the bacalhau is dressed with those plus the parsley and onion, it has a whole new set of flavours going on and I find the combination much tastier than without.
If you’re new to Portugal, you won’t be the first to question the Portuguese obsession with bacalhau. I question it often! But the obsession is real, and there are too many recipes to list here. How many bacalhau dishes are there? Some say at least 365, one for each day of the year, and I’ve seen larger numbers thrown around, too. I’m still working my way through the common ones, but here are some I’ve eaten (or prepared myself) and photographed:
bacalhau com natas
bacalhau com broa
bacalhau at Christmas Eve (this version of bacalhau is the one I like the least of all)
bacalhau à brás
bacalhau com todos
Next one to try: a local Porto bacalhau dish called Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá. I see it all over the place, but for some reason it has eluded me!
vinegar and azeite (olive oil)
January 24, 2016
Album: Portugal [Winter 2015/2016]
Possibly related posts:
- Bacalhau Com Broa Behold, another creation from Mother-in-Law Restaurante: codfish with cornbread. The Portuguese are very fond of their bacalhau, which is curious because cod is not native to Portugal at all —...
- Family Sunday, aka Day of Eating Sunday lunch with the extended Portuguese family is really a euphemism for “we’re going to eat all day and there’ll still be leftovers sent home with you”. After several helpings...
- Bacalhau Com Broa At Mother-In-Law Restaurante At Casa Aguiar, there is one real bacalhau com broa fan who will choose it from a menu without hesitation, and there is someone who wouldn’t order it on a...
- Portuguese Rice Portugal, the largest consumer of rice in Europe, is also a rice producer -- the native variety is called Carolino....
- Portuguese Kitchen: Chuchu and Robalo Chuchu is a well-known vegetable in many countries under a lot of different names, but I’m guessing chayote will sound more familiar. Where my father is from in the Philippines,...
