13 Jul Lagareiro style salted cod
Bacalhau comes from the colder waters near Norway, Iceland and Canada. In fact, the popularity, among the Portuguese, dates back to the 15th century, the Age of Discoveries. During that time, Portuguese sailors traveled the world, sometimes spending months abroad.
In detail, bacalhau is codfish that has been doused in vast quantities of salt and dried. To prepare it for cooking, it must be soaked in freshwater for 3 days to reduce the level of salt in it!
Bacalhau is the most popular base dish in portuguese gastronomy. In fact, there are more than 365 different recipes, one for each day of the year…
Historically, when there was nothing else to cook, the Portuguese could always rely on the salt dried codfish for a good meal so, it began to be known between cooks as their “faithful friend”.
In fact, in the Portuguese gastronomy we find a huge variety of codfish recipes. Lagareiro style salted cod is one of the most famous.
[ 2 PORTIONS]
INGREDIENTS
400g salted cod fillet;
200g onion;
300g small potatoes (unpeeled);
200g turnip greens;
Bay leaf;
Extra virgin olive oil;
Salt and rosemary to taste.
PREPARATION
First, peel and laminate the onion and the garlic. Then, on a tray, put a layer of onion and garlic and, on top of it, put the salted cod fillet.
After that, drizzle with olive oil and add the bay leaf and the rosemary. Take it to the oven. Wash the potatoes, put a layer of coarse salt on a tray. Then, put the potatoes on top and finish with a top layer of salt. Take the potatoes to the oven. Cook the turnip greens in boiling water with salt; later cook them with olive oil and minced garlic. Finally, plate the cod to taste and serve warm.
If you want to learn more about cod in our Gastronomy, join our Food and Wine tours in Porto
Also, follow this link to know more about its history: https://www.centerofportugal.com/tour/codfish-route/
ENJOY IT!