In Portugal, Christmas Eve smells like this dish, because the bacalhau has to be soaked for two full days beforehand, with the water changed several times a day. Rushing the salt cod is the one unforgivable mistake.

Bacalhau com todos means codfish with everything, and everything really is the idea: poached salt cod, potatoes, cabbage, carrots and hard-boiled eggs, all cooked gently and served family-style on one big platter with good olive oil poured over the top.

It is the most humble of the bacalhau dishes on the site, plainer than Bacalhau à Brás and less rich than Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá (both on the site), and that plainness is the point. At Consoada, the Christmas Eve dinner, this is the dish that lets everyone at the table slow down before the presents and midnight Mass.

If you are new to this tradition, do not overthink it. There is no roux, no cream, no fuss. The technique is careful boiling and good timing so nothing turns to mush, and a simple garlic-and-vinegar drizzle at the end that makes the whole dish sing.

Bacalhau com Todos Recipe

What you need

Ingredients

2 lbs dried salt cod (bacalhau), soaked in the refrigerator 24 to 48 hours, water changed 2 to 3 times a day
2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and halved or quartered depending on size
3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into thick sticks (optional but traditional in many homes)
1 medium head green cabbage, cut into wedges through the core (or substitute collard greens or Savoy cabbage)
6 large eggs
3/4 cup good extra virgin olive oil, plus more for the platter
5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Coarse sea salt, to taste (go easy, the cod is already salty)
Fresh parsley, chopped, for serving

Cook along

Instructions

Two days before serving, rinse the salt cod and place it in a large bowl, skin side up, covered generously with cold water. Refrigerate and change the water 2 to 3 times a day for 24 to 48 hours, tasting a small piece toward the end to check the salt level.
When ready to cook, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Gently lower in the eggs and boil for 9 minutes, then transfer to an ice bath, peel, and set aside.
In the same pot, bring salted water back to a boil and add the potatoes and carrots. Cook about 12 minutes, until just barely tender.
Add the cabbage wedges and cook 8 to 10 more minutes, until the vegetables are fork-tender but not falling apart.
Drain the soaked cod and add it to the pot for the last 6 to 8 minutes, or poach it separately in a wide skillet of barely simmering water for about 6 minutes, until it just flakes. Do not let it boil hard or it turns stringy.
While everything cooks, warm the olive oil in a small saucepan with the sliced garlic over low heat until fragrant and just golden, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the vinegar.
Drain the cod and vegetables well. Arrange on one large platter: cod in the center, potatoes, carrots, and cabbage around it, eggs halved on top.
Spoon the warm garlic-vinegar olive oil generously over the platter, scatter with parsley, and serve immediately while warm.