Bacalhau com natas. Say it with me: ba-ka-lhow koom na-tas. It means cod with cream in Portuguese and it’s one of my favorite dishes ever. It’s creamy, cheesy, comforting and so satisfying. It’s like a hug in a bowl.
I first had bacalhau com natas when I visited Portugal a few years ago. I was blown away by how delicious it was. The cod was flaky and moist, the potatoes were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, the sauce was rich and velvety. The whole thing was baked until golden and bubbly and topped with some fresh parsley for a pop of color and freshness.
I knew I had to recreate this dish at home as soon as possible. Luckily, it’s not that hard to make. All you need are some simple ingredients that you can find at any grocery store: salted cod (or fresh if you prefer), potatoes, onion, garlic, bay leaf, butter, flour, milk, cream (or half-and-half), nutmeg and cheese (optional but highly recommended).
The process is pretty straightforward too: cook the cod in milk (this helps keep it moist and adds flavor to the sauce), fry the potatoes until golden (you can also use leftover cooked potatoes or frozen hash browns), make a sofrito with onion, garlic and bay leaf (this adds depth and sweetness to the dish), make a béchamel sauce with butter, flour, milk, cream and nutmeg (this is the base of the creamy sauce), layer everything in a baking dish, sprinkle some cheese on top if you like, and bake until bubbly and brown.
That’s it! You have just made an amazing Portuguese dish that will impress your family and friends. Serve it with some crusty bread or a green salad on the side for a complete meal.
In this blog post I’m going to show you step-by-step how to make this yummy bacalhau com natas with lots of tips and tricks along the way. You’ll also learn some fun facts about its history and origin.
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