Bacalhau salted codfish

Bacalhau, codfish or more commonly here salted codfish, is very much part of the Portuguese cuisine and tradition.  Cod is fished in the seas off Norway and Iceland.  The codfish is dried and salted to preserve it. Soaking it for several hours or overnight removes the salt.  Onced cooked you do not get any of the saltiness.

You can have it served grilled, baked, cooked with potatoes or with cream.  There are many recipes for bacalhau and there are more than a hundred ways you can cook it.  At Christmas it is a tradition to have bacalhau on the menu and every home has it on this day.

Some people may find it an acquired taste. You can find bacalhau cooked as the pastel de bacalhau (codfish fritter)  in any snack bar or café.  Bacalhau com natas, cod cooked with cream baked in the oven giving it a crisp crust, is a popular dish in restaurants.

Bacalhau dishes served in restaurants:

Below are a few of the most common bacalhau dishes.

One of the many bacalhau dishes in the photo, baked and served with potatoes (batata a muro).

Bacalhau com natas:
Codfish with potatoes in a cream sauce and baked which gives it a crust.

Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá:
Shredded cooked bacalhau with sliced boiled potatoes, sliced boiled egg, onions, black olives, all in layers in a dish.

Bacalhau à Brás:
Shredded cooked bacalhau with fried matchstick potatoes, onions and mixed with beaten egg and cooked.

Pataniscas de bacalhau:
These are codfish fritters and consist of  cod fried with a batter. Usually served in restaurants with accompaniments as a main meal.

Pastel de Bacalhau:
Cooked cod mixed with mash potatoes and formed into croquettes and fried.  Found in any cafe or bar it is much like the fishcake.

The popular pastel de bacalhau in the photo.  You can eat it as a snack or as a light meal with a salad or other accompaniments or side dishes.