Portuguese Seafood – Bacalhau A Gomes De Sa

I will always remember my trip to Portugal, not only for its incredible sights, monumental buildings and astonishing nature, but also for its delicious and addictive food! One of my fave Portuguese dishes is arguably Bacalhau a gomes de sa – salted codfish. This famous Portuguese recipe was invented by a cook Jose Luiz Gomes de Sa Jr. whose father was a codfish trader. In order to give the cod a softer texture, he marinated the fish flakes in warm milk. If just like me you are in love with this tasty dish, here is a recipe! Keep in mind that you need to plan ahead preparation, since the salted cod should be soaking for about 24 hours.

Ingredients (8 servings)

• dried salted cod fish – 2 pounds
• Yukon gold potatoes – 4
• butter – 3 tbs
• chopped hard cooked eggs – 4
• thinly sliced yellow onions – 2
• chopped garlic – 2 cloves
• fresh chopped parsley – 1/2 cup
• pitted green olives – 10
• pitted black olives – 10
• olive oil – 3/4 cup
• red pepper flakes – 2 tsp
• freshly ground pepper
• milk – 1 cup

Directions:

• The dried salted cold should be soaked in cold water for 24 hours – change the water from time to time.
• A larger pot of water should be brought to a boil. Add the cod fish and boil it until fish flakes with a fork (it takes about 5 minutes). After removing cod, use this water for cooking potatoes.
• After removing skin and bones from the cod, use fork to make fish flakes and put them in a larger bowl. Cover it with warm milk – let it rest for about 15 minutes.
• Stir together the olive oil, garlic (1 clove), parsley(2 tbs), red pepper flakes and black pepper in a small bowl. Pour this mixture over the drained cod.
• Preheat the oven to 350 °F.
• Potatoes should be boiled for about 20 minutes, until tender but firm. After draining and cooling them, peel and slice potatoes into slices (1/4 inch).
• While cooking the potatoes, butter should be melted in a large skillet over medium heat. Onions should be added and sauteed until caramelized. Stir garlic (1 clove) into the onions and set aside.
• Use a greased baking dish (8*11 inch) and layer it with half of the potato slices. Cover the potatoes with half of the cod and then half of the caramelized onions. Repeat layering.
• Bake in the preheated oven until lightly browned (about 15 minutes).
• Garnish the top with olives and eggs and sprinkle it with remaining parsley.
• Serve the dish warm and enjoy the meal!