Bacalhau gratinado

Bacalhau gratinado is what happens when salt cod gets the full comfort-food treatment: flaked cod folded with sweet peppers, golden onions and chopped boiled eggs, bound with a little mayonnaise and baked until bronzed and bubbling. In Portugal it shows up at Christmas and Easter tables, but it is far too good to save for holidays.

As with every bacalhau dish, the fish does the heavy lifting — so give it a proper 24-hour soak with several water changes to shed the salt and rehydrate before cooking.

This is also a wonderfully flexible recipe: swap the herbs, spike it with paprika, or finish it with cilantro instead of parsley, the way many southern Portuguese cooks do. Here is my version.

Bacalhau Gratinado Recipe

Prep time: 20 minutes · Cook time: 45 minutes · Total: about 1 hour · Servings: 4 · Calories: ~365 per serving

Ingredients

• 2 pounds salt cod, soaked and desalted
• 3 eggs
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 green bell pepper
• 3 onions, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• ¾ cup olive oil
• 6 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 bunch parsley or cilantro, chopped, divided
• Olives, to garnish
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Boil the cod and the eggs. Drain, then clean the cod of skin and bones and flake it.
2. Chop the onions and garlic. Halve the peppers, remove seeds and membranes, and cut into strips or small cubes.
3. Heat the olive oil in a large pan and cook the onion and garlic until the onion begins to soften.
4. Add the peppers and the flaked cod, mix, then add the oregano and half the chopped parsley (or cilantro). Cook gently over low heat.
5. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
6. Chop the boiled eggs and add them to the pan along with the mayonnaise, mixing gently.
7. Adjust the salt, add a pinch of pepper, and spread everything evenly in a clay or Pyrex dish.
8. Bake until nicely browned, then sprinkle with the remaining herbs and garnish with olives.

Recipe Notes

• Good salt cod is firm, evenly salted and white with a fresh smell — skip anything yellowish or strong-smelling.
• Look for MSC or ASC certification if sustainability matters to you.
• Soak for at least 24 hours, changing the water several times.
• Thyme, dill, paprika or cumin all play well here — make it your own.