There’s a reason why Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá is on the menu at so many Portuguese restaurants – it’s pure comfort food. Learn how to make this Portuguese casserole in your home kitchen.
Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá, a casserole of caramelized onions, potatoes and salt cod (i.e. bacalhau), is one of our favorite Portuguse dishes. It’s a simple construction of sweet onion, earthy potatoes and funky salt cod that works in a comfort food kind of way.
It’s a dish we’re always happy to see on Lisbon prato do dia blackboard menus. Literally translating to daily plate, a prato do dia is a daily special offered by restaurants all over Portugal. Sometimes the dish features fresh fish, other times it’s a stew like cozido à Portuguese or octopus on Fridays. And, of course, dishes made with bacalhau.
Legend has it that bacalhau à Gomes de Sá was invented at a Porto restaurant named Cafe Lisbonense by Sr. Gomes de Sá, the son of a cod seller. Although we’re still trying to figure out what exactly ‘cod seller’ means, we’re fairly certain that Sr. Gomes de Sá liked potatoes and onions as much as we do.
Regardless of the dish’s origin story, there’s no debate that the rustic casserole is central to the Portuguese cooking canon. Now it’s part of our culinary repertoire too.
Ingredients
The list of ingredients in this bacalhau à Gomes de Sá recipe is simple. Here’s everything you need:
Ingredient quantities are detailed in the printable recipe card below.
How to Soak Salt Cod
Salt cod is a food product with a learning curve – it’s a process to understand how to soak and desalinate the preserved fish. Portuguese people often soak bacalhau for 36 hours, changing the water three to four times. However, it’s important to remember that soaking bacalhau isn’t just about desalinization. It’s also about rehydration.
We soak our bacalhau for at least two days, optimally for three to four days and up to a week maximum. (There’s enough salt in the fish to repel bacteria for a long time.) This duration gives the fish time to increase in size and become both plump and tender. Also, we change the water at least three to four times during the soaking process so that the fish isn’t bracingly salty.
Pro Tip
Change the water once a day if you choose to soak your bacalhau for longer than three days.
How To Make Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá
This bacalhau à Gomes de Sá recipe is relatively simple and only takes an hour once you pre-soak the salt cod.
Start by boiling the peeled potato slices, bay leaf, white peppercorns and garlic in a pot until the potato slices are just tender in the center. You don’t want them to be mushy. At the same time, preheat your oven to 450°f / 230°c.
Next, move the salt cod, bay leaf, white peppercorns and garlic clove to a small pot and cook for four to five minutes in water just under boiling. Don’t let the water boil. You’re essentially poaching the fish.
Pro Tip
After a couple tests, we’ve found that the salt cod is best if it’s just cooked for a few minutes at moderate, slightly below boiling temperature. If it’s overcooked, bacalhau can become tough and bitter.
Once the fish is cooked, remove it from the heat and separate the meat from the bones and skin. (You can discard the bones and skin.) Be careful not to over-mix the salt cod as the goal here is large flakes.
Start cooking the onions in the olive oil with a pinch of salt and pepper, stirring frequently. It should take about 35 to 45 minutes to cook the onions over a moderately low fire until they’re just golden, tender and slightly caramelized.
Add the garlic in the last three minutes of cooking and cook it until fragrant. You don’t want the garlic to get too brown and burn.
Build the casserole level by level. Start by layering half of the onions, followed by the potatoes, salt cod and, finally, the other half of the onions.
Cook the casserole in the oven for about 10 minutes or until the top of the dish just starts to brown.
Remove the casserole from the oven. Top with eggs and black olives in an artistic pattern.
Serve and enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá is a classic Portuguese casserole made with salt cod, caramelized onions and potatoes.
Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá was invented in Porto, Portugal.
Bacalhau / Salt Cod, Bay Leaf, Black Olives, Eggs, Garlic, Olive Oil, Onion, Parsley, Pepper, Potatoes, Salt and White Peppercorns
You can buy salt cod loin online at Portugalia Marketplace. Since unsoaked loins last for months, so you can hypothetically buy a large order and make this and other bacalhau dishes multiple times.
Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá Recipe
A staple at Portuguese tascas, Bacalhau à Gomes is a simple yet classic salt cod casserole that you can cook at home in an hour.
Servings: 4
Calories: 741kcal
- 1 pound bacalhau loin
- 1 pound red or yukon gold potatoes ( peeled and sliced into about 1/3 inch rounds)
- 2 large onions (sliced about ¼ inch thin – about 1 ¼ pounds after slicing)
- 4 cloves garlic (3 minced + one whole (peeled))
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon parsley (chopped for garnish)
- 3 eggs (hard boiled; halved or sliced)
- 10 white peppercorns (whole)
- 8 black olives (pitted for garnish)
- 2 tablespoons salt (for boiling the potatoes)
- salt (to taste)
- pepper (to taste)
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Preheat an oven to 450°f / 230°c
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Bring water to a boil with the salt, bay leaf, garlic clove and parsley stems in a 4 quart saucepan. Add the potatoes and boil until just tender – about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the potatoes with a slotted spoon.
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While the potatoes are boiling, heat the olive oil in a sauté or frying pan over a medium low fire and add the onions. Cook the onions, while stirring occasionally, until they’re golden. (Cook the potatoes and cod while the onions are caramelizing.) Add the chopped garlic in the last minutes of cooking the onions. Cook until the garlic until just fragrant. The onions should be done in about 35 to 45 minutes. Once the onions are cooked, remove them from the heat and set aside for the casserole assembly.
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Place water in a 2 quart saucepan and add the salt cod, the same bay leaf, the white peppercorns and a garlic clove. Place over a medium fire and cook for four to five minutes at just under a boil until the cod is flaky.
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Remove the cod from the water and separate the flesh from the bones and skin. Discard the bones and skin. Set the flaked salt cod aside.
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Build the casserole in an ovenproof round or rectangular baking dish. Layer half of the onions first, followed by the potatoes, salt cod, and then the remaining onions. Add a small dash of salt and pepper to taste.
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Place in the oven and cook until lightly caramelized on top – about 8 to 10 minutes.
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Remove the baking dish from the oven. Garnish with black olives, the hard boiled eggs and chopped parsley.
Calories: 741kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 79g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 22g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 295mg | Sodium: 11642mg | Potassium: 2281mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 458IU | Vitamin C: 33mg | Calcium: 240mg | Iron: 5mg
