Portugal: My Sincere, Radiant Bacalhau à Brás Recipe
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When I think of LaBouffe, I rarely think of overly polished plates. I prefer dishes with soul—ones that can hold their own in a conversation at the table without putting on a show. That is exactly why I so often return to bacalhau à Brás, an iconic Portuguese recipe that I find at once simple, generous and deeply sincere. After a walk in Lisbon, when I come down from the miradouros craving a meal that comforts without weighing me down, I find in this dish what I love most about cooking: bold flavour, lively texture, and that distinctly Portuguese way of turning humble ingredients into something warm and inviting. Like my everyday meals, it speaks of balance between pleasure and restraint, between the need to nourish oneself and the desire to take one’s time. I make it with 400 g of desalted cod, 500 g of potatoes, 2 onions, 3 garlic cloves, 4 eggs, olive oil, parsley, black olives and a little pepper. I poach the cod, carefully shred it, then cut the potatoes into matchsticks before browning them until crisp. In a large frying pan, I soften the onions and garlic in good olive oil, add the cod, then the potatoes, and gently combine everything so the dish retains its structure. I then beat the eggs and pour them in off the heat or over very low heat, just enough to achieve a creamy, almost enveloping texture, without letting them dry out.
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Where: Portugal