Codfish for a Sunday lunch

Last Sunday I hosted a Portuguese lunch to introduce the codfish to some of my friends who had never tried it before (one Singaporean and two English). I had been promising them a Portuguese feast for a long time and have finally (and gladly!) paid my debt.

When I say feast I really mean it! Starting with the homemade bread I had made the day before, the Portuguese cheese and scrambled eggs with farinheira, followed by one of the most loved Portuguese dishes, codfish with cream, and ending with chocolate mousse (my husband´s specialty, whose recipe  I´ll have the chance to share soon).

 

Codfish with cream I´ve prapared

All this food combined with wine, good company and conversation resulted in a 6 hour lunch! Could a Sunday afternoon get any better?

Moving on to the real subject of this post... the codfish! I´ve mentioned a few times before that this is by far a key ingredient in the Portuguese cuisine. My experience in Singapore tells me that people in general know the Portuguese are good at making egg tarts, but have no idea we are a codfish masters. We definitely love it and it´s said there are over 1001 ways to cook it - just go to a bookshop in Portugal or online and you´ll find cookbooks or websites holding this promise.

I might be wrong, but it seems the codfish itself is generally unknown. The fact that we have it dry and salty, makes it even more peculiar and exclusive to the Portuguese cuisine. I´ve personally seen fresh codfish only once in my life.

 The codfish as it´s sold - dried and salty


The codfish with cream is one of my favorites dishes and what I choose to prepare every time I have non-Portuguese friends over for a meal. I preach so much about the Portuguese food that I don´t have a choice but to give them something that will meet their expectations.

As for the recipe, here is. It´s not difficult, but it takes time, 1h30 to 2h.

Ingredients

- 4 cod steaks
- 1kg - 1.5kg of potatoes
- Olive oil
- 2 onions
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 40 g of flour
- 40 g of butter
- 250 dl of milk
- 250 dl of cream
- 1dl of the water used to cook the codfisf
- Pepper
- Nutmeg
- lemon
- shredded cheese or breadcrumbs

Step 1

Cook the codfish in water for 5 minutes. Let it cool down, remove the bones and skin and shred it.
Note: the cod needs to be unsalted, which means it has to be in water for about 2 to 3 days and the water needs to be changed roughly 3 times a day.

Step 2

Peel the potatoes, cut them in small cubes and fry them.

Step 3

In a big pan, brown the onions (cut in circles) and the garlic in the olive oil. Add the codfish and the fried potatoes and mix everything. Turn the stove off before adding the cod and the fries or immediately after mixing everything altogether.  

Step 4

Now, we need to prepare the bechamel. In a small pan, melt the butter and add the flour without never stop stirring. Then, add the water and keep stirring for about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the milk and the cream and keep stirring for about 3 to 4 minutes until you get a thicker sauce. Turn off the stove and season with pepper, nutmeg and lemon.

Then pour 2/3 of the sauce into the pan with the potatoes and cod, mix, and put this in a tray. Pour the rest of the bechamel on top and create another very thin layer either with the cheese or the breadcrumbs. 

Step 5

Pop the tray in the oven for about 20 - 30 minutes, until the top becomes golden.

I never add salt, because the codfish should still be salty enough. I know it won´t be the same, but I´ll have to try this recipe with another fish, maybe salmon. Unfortunately, I also have limited access to the cod.