Empadas de bacalhau are the little pies you see behind every Portuguese café counter, and the codfish version is a favorite: buttery, flaky pastry around a savory filling of salt cod, onion, garlic, tomato and fresh herbs.
They are festive food and everyday food at once — equally at home on a party spread or wrapped in a napkin for the road. Warm from the oven, when the pastry shatters and the filling steams, they are very hard to stop eating.
The recipe has two simple components — a chilled butter-and-shortening dough and a quick skillet filling — and both can be made ahead, which makes assembly day pleasantly easy.
Empadas de Bacalhau Recipe
What you need
Ingredients
- For the dough:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
- ½ cup vegetable shortening, chilled
- ½ cup ice-cold water (plus more if needed)
- 1 large egg yolk, for brushing
- For the filling:
- 1 pound salt cod, soaked overnight and desalted
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 medium tomato, finely diced
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 hard-boiled egg, diced (optional)
Cook along
Instructions
- Whisk the flour and salt, then work in the butter and shortening with your fingers or a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Add the cold water gradually, mixing just until the dough comes together. Divide into two disks, wrap, and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
- Simmer the soaked cod for 10 minutes, drain, cool slightly, and shred, removing bones and skin.
- Sauté the onion in the olive oil until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and tomato and cook until soft, then stir in the paprika, herbs, pepper, shredded cod and the diced egg if using.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Roll the dough to ⅛-inch thickness and cut 4-inch circles.
- Spoon filling into the center of each circle, fold into a half-moon, press to seal and crimp with a fork.
- Brush with the egg yolk and bake 20 to 25 minutes, until golden. Serve warm or at room temperature.
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