They say Portugal has more than a thousand ways to cook bacalhau — one for every day of the year and then some. Between the famous ones like bacalhau à brás, à Gomes de Sá and com natas, my weeknight favorite is the simplest: bacalhau assado no forno com batatas, baked cod with potatoes. Few ingredients, one baking dish, and the oven does all the work.
The one non-negotiable is proper salted cod. Curing gives it a firmer texture and deeper flavor than fresh cod — but it must be desalted first: soak it in cold water for at least 24 hours, changing the water several times, until it is pleasantly seasoned rather than salty.
From there it could not be easier: layer onions, garlic, bell pepper and bay leaves in a dish, set the cod on top, surround it with small potatoes, be generous with the olive oil, and bake. Serve it with a green salad or crusty bread — and if you are lucky enough to have leftovers, they make a wonderful lunch the next day.
Baked Cod with Potatoes Recipe
Prep time: 20 minutes · Cook time: 40 minutes · Total: 1 hour · Servings: 4 · Calories: ~245 per serving
Ingredients
- 4 salted cod loins, soaked and desalted
- 2 pounds small potatoes
- 2 large onions, sliced
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced
- 4 bay leaves
- Olive oil, as needed (be generous)
- Coarse salt, as needed
Instructions
- In a baking dish, arrange the onion, garlic, bell pepper and bay leaves over the bottom.
- Set the cod loins on top and drizzle everything generously with olive oil.
- Surround the cod with the potatoes and season them with a few salt crystals (the cod needs none).
- Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 40 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and everything is golden.
Recipe Notes
- Tomato, paprika, a splash of white wine, lemon zest or chives are all easy ways to vary the dish.
- Good salted cod is firm and dry with a uniform color and clean smell — avoid anything discolored, soft or strong-smelling.
- The best salted cod comes from cold waters — Norway, Iceland or Canada.
- Buy it trimmed and cleaned of bones if you can; whole or in pieces, whatever suits your dish.
- Unsoaked salted cod keeps for months in a cool, dry place, wrapped in parchment or cloth.
