Bacalhau’s information – recipes and the place to eat in Lisbon and Porto

Cod is the star of a number of Portuguese dishes, featured in numerous eating places in Lisbon and Porto. Fish preparations in Portuguese delicacies range – one is extra scrumptious than the opposite. And, being a non-vegetarian traveler, no journey to Portuguese land could be full with out at the very least one meal with the well-known fish.

On this submit, we convey you the whole lot that you must find out about cod. What are one of the best cod recipes? The place to eat cod in Lisbon? Greatest restaurant to eat cod in Porto? Why do the Portuguese eat a lot cod (70 thousand tons yearly 😱)? Is cod a single fish? The solutions to all these questions are beneath.

Codfish in Portugal: 7 most well-known dishes

It’s a tough mission to record all of the totally different cod recipes in Portuguese delicacies. However right here we point out a number of the preparations that we like essentially the most – and, after all, these which might be additionally the best to search out in eating places and bars in Lisbon and Porto.

1. Bacalhau à Bras

That is undoubtedly one of the crucial basic cod preparations in Portugal. Bacalhau à Brás is sautéed shredded fish with onions, straw potatoes and scrambled eggs. Black olives and parsley are additionally added to the dish. Nham!

2. Cod with Cream

For individuals who like a extra nutritious weight loss program – or are simply loopy for cream – the only option is Bacalhau com Natas. The identify says all of it: mashed flat cod with a beneficiant layer of béchamel sauce and cream and sautéed onions and potatoes. It comes out of the oven with a toasted pores and skin!

3. Cod à Lagareiro

That is for many who don’t miss the chance to grease their stomachs with beautiful olive oil. Bacalhau à Lagareiro is made with chunks of fish virtually “drowned” in olive oil. Garlic chips (and generally a handful of cilantro) boost this scrumptious dish, which is complemented by potatoes. One other basic!

4. Cod à Gomes de Sá

Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá is likely one of the most ready by the Portuguese at house. Fish chips sautéed with garlic, shallots and bay leaves. Then boiled potatoes are added. Ending with boiled eggs and inexperienced spices.

We’re speaking a couple of easy dish, however official: it was developed by codfish vendor José Luís Gomes de Sá Júnior, in Porto, within the early nineteenth century, a standard Portuguese restaurant.

5. Cod à Ze do Pipo

One other dish with cod hailing from the town of Porto, Bacalhau à Zé do Pipo options fish in an au gratin model, now lined in a creamy mayonnaise combination and scrumptious with mashed potatoes. Served with black olives and inexperienced herbs. One in every of my favourites!

Some extra trendy variations characteristic puree with mayonnaise alongside the fish, as is the case with Bacalhau à Zé do Pipo on the Taverna D’Avó restaurant, in Porto. Check out this magnificence:

6. Cod Fish Muffins

Pastel de bacalhau is ubiquitous in Portuguese eating places and is nothing greater than what we, in Brazil, know as “bolinho de bacalhau”. The cake is crunchy. Inside, the potato dough is tender and engaging and many cod. There are variations which might be more moderen – ​​and even controversial among the many Portuguese – akin to cod desserts with Serra da Estrela cheese added as a filling, offered at Casa Portuguesa do Pastel de Bacalhau, which has retailers in most of Portugal’s vacationer sights.

7. Fry the cod

Cod pataniscas are additionally simple to search out in Portuguese eating places. Cod chips are dipped in a flour and water combination after which fried. Pataniscas are normally accompanied by tomato rice, one other conventional Portuguese facet dish for seafood dishes.

And naturally, there are extra puritanical preparations of cod, akin to cooking it after which including olive oil and spices. There are additionally these typical of a restaurant, which have turn into the true flagship of the home, akin to Bacalhau à Tasca (from Tasca da Sé, in Lisbon) and Folhado de Bacalhau (from Tasca Ti Natércia, in Lisbon), the place the fish is wrapped in puff pastry very crunchy.

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The place to eat cod in Lisbon

Cod dishes are current in virtually all eating places in Lisbon, from essentially the most conventional to essentially the most trendy, commandeered by the well-known chef. Under are a number of the finest eating places to eat cod in Lisbon:

• Ze da Mouraria: The normal and hearty Bacalhau à Lagareiro at tasca Zé da Mouraria is likely one of the finest in Lisbon. The fish is bathed in beneficiant quantities of olive oil, fried garlic, coriander and accompanied by mashed potatoes, chickpeas and stewed cabbage. In September 2022, we paid €32.50 for Bacalhau à Zé da Mouraria (because the dish is called on the restaurant menu) – and we could not eat all of it for 3 individuals!

• Tasca Ti Natércia: Natércia does the whole lot there: prepares the meals, waits on the desk, and collects the cash on the until. To get one of many 4 tables the restaurant affords, you will must make a reservation (or be very fortunate, arrive very early). One of many exclusives is Bacalhau Tinatercia (24 €), the place fish is wrapped in puff pastry, stuffed with tomato sauce. Scrumptious! Whereas we have been away we additionally tried the scrumptious Bacalhau com Natas (11€). Every dish serves at the very least two individuals.

• Cod Home: on this restaurant fish is served in additional than 20 alternative ways. Probably the most requested is the Cod with Broas, topped with crunchy breadcrumbs. One other dish that could be a mainstay of the home is cod with orange puree.

• Time Out Markets: at Mercado da Ribeira, additionally referred to as TimeOut Market, in Lisbon, there are a number of well-known eating places chef which incorporates cod on the menu. It is value testing the preparations by Miguel Castro e Silva and Marlene Vieira.

• Laurentina – The Cod King: The restaurant’s personal Instagram has the next description: we’ve got been serving high quality cod since 1976. Probably the most requested dishes by prospects is Bacalhau à Brás.

• It is chilly: Lisbon’s century-old restaurant, opened in 1872, is thought for its cod dishes, akin to its reinterpretation of Bacalhau à Zé do Pipo.

• Photo voltaic two Allegedly: one of the crucial well-known marisqueiras (eating places specializing in seafood) in Lisbon can also be recognized for its very good preparations with cod. Menu highlights at Photo voltaic dos Presuntos are Bacalhau à Lagareiro and Bacalhau à Portuguesa, with onions, tomatoes, peppers and eggs.
• D’Codfish: there are 15 totally different dishes ready with fish within the D’Bacalhau restaurant. A few of the most requested there are Bacalhau à Brás, à Chef Júlio (with spinach, egg, potato straw and cream) and Misto de Bacalhau (in accordance with particular person tastes: à lagareiro, com natas, à brás and com broa ). ).

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The place to eat cod in Porto

• Hidden Warehouse: one of the crucial conventional eating places in Porto has Bacalhau com Broa as one among its major dishes. Prospects normally reward the service and scrumptious meals.
• Or Quick: One other conventional bar in Porto, positioned very near São Bento Station, Fast additionally has cod dishes on the menu. Monday is Codfish Spanish type (with tomatoes and peppers); Thursday is Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá day, and on Fridays, Bacalhau à João do Grão and Bacalhau à Fácil are served (earlier than you go, verify the menu on the restaurant’s web site).
• Adega Sao Nicolau: positioned subsequent to Cais da Ribeira, overlooking the Douro and Vila Nova de Gaia, this restaurant is thought for its cod fritters and Bacalhau à Lagareiro.

• Cod: the perfect place to find totally different cod preparations in Porto. Bacalhau à Zé do Pipo is likely one of the most requested dishes.

• Taberna D’Avo: once we went to Taberna D’Avó we ordered Bacalhau à Zé do Pipo and it was one of the best cod we have ever tasted in Portugal. Properly offered and really tasty, with clean mashed potatoes and mayonnaise. It’s advisable to make a reservation, particularly in excessive season.
• Taverninha do Manel: on the banks of the Douro, in Vila Nova de Gaia, Taberninha do Manel affords tables beside the sidewalk, with panoramic views of Porto, the D. Luís I bridge and likewise the motion of the wharf on the banks of the river Gaia. The menu there may be fairly various (we love alheira and rissóis), however one of the crucial requested dishes is Bacalhau com Natas. This one:

Why is a lot cod eaten in Portugal?

The Portuguese historical past of cod begins within the late 14th century, when the Portuguese Navy found that dried and salted fish was remarkably effectively preserved throughout lengthy sea voyages. Within the following century, throughout their exploration of the world’s oceans, Portuguese navigators found cod-infested waters close to Canada and Greenland. It was then that cod fishing was began by the Portuguese – who have been pushed out of the world within the sixteenth century by the French and British.

Nevertheless, it was not till the twentieth century that cod’s recognition actually reached the Portuguese desk. Through the Salazar dictatorship, the “cod marketing campaign” tried to revive the fishing trade and use cod as a nationwide image. The truth is, many Portuguese died within the arduous work of fishing on the excessive seas.

At present, 70% of all cod consumed in Portugal comes from Norway. In keeping with the Norwegian Marine Merchandise Council (NSC) estimates for Portugal, the nation consumes 70,000 tons of fish yearly, with 5,000 tons at Christmas alone.

Is cod a single fish?

5 marine fish could be marketed beneath the identify cod. Better of all, it is usually referred to as “actual cod”, is morhua 12 monthsalso called Porto Codfish.

One other species that’s offered as cod is Molva molva (Ling), which is narrower and lighter in flesh; That Inexperienced Pollachius (Saithe), with darker flesh and a reasonably robust flavour; That Ivory ivory (Zarbo), which is broadly consumed within the Brazilian market, is usually used shredded; and Gadus macrocephalus (Pacific cod), just like Porto cod, however inexpensive.

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And also you, are you a giant cod fan? What’s your favourite cod dish? Do you’ve gotten any ideas for the place to eat cod in Lisbon or Porto? Take part in feedback!