Bacalhau a Bras, a dish of Fado at Hotel Royal in Macau. 24JUN14 [10JULY2014 FOOD REVIEW 1 48HRS] (Photo by Paul Yeung/South China Morning Post via Getty Images)
Food - Drink
Bacalhau à Brás: Portugal's Ultimate Scrambled Eggs
By HOPE NGO
No country has embraced cod — and salt cod in particular — the way Portugal has. The fish, also known as bacalhau according to Portugal.com, is the country's national ingredient, and it's estimated the Portuguese consume more than 100 thousand metric tons per year, much of which goes into Bacalhau à brás.
Bacalhau à brás, or bacalhau dourado, is a popular dish of shredded cod, onions, and fried matchstick potato that's held together with beaten egg and topped with black olives. The dish was created by a Lisbon tavern owner named Brás, and while it's easy to cook, the salt cod has to be soaked for at least one day to remove excess salt.
Philosokitchen recommends soaking salt cod in a bowl of water and replacing the water every 8-10 hours; once 24 hours have passed, boil a piece and taste to see if it is still too salty, then repeat the process if it needs more time. Food n Road says to poach the bacalhau for 15 minutes before using it in Bacalhau à brás or other recipes.
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