Sailors Bacalhau Gratin - Bacalhau a Marinheiro

Posted on October 8, 2007
Filed Under Food

There are likely countless recipes of salted cod in Portugal’s history. Long before anyone thought of the modern invention we now know as the refrigerator, discoverers dried and salted cod as a way to preserve it for long voyages. Portugal being heavily Roman Catholic also meant there were many religious holidays where only fish could be eaten, so the use of bacalhau became a staple in Portuguese cuisine and remains so to this day.

Sailors Bacalhau Gratin

I have forgotten how many cod recipes I’ve tried over the years, what I remember of course are my favorites. The one that topped my list however didn’t seem to have a name, or at least not one I could remember. I always called it the one with the cubes, which must have been from my fascination of finding French fried potato cubes hiding under its crisp topping. Fortunately mom remembered, it turns out the recipe does have a name - “Bacalhau a Marinheiro”.

Bacalhau a Marinheiro

This recipe takes some planning, but its easy and very worth it. The cod can be desalted and cooked a day or two before and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use. To make salted bacalhau recipes faster and more convenient, you can desalt the bacalhau, and then freeze it until ready to use.

Sailors Bacalhau Gratin
Inspired by mom and agenda domestica

3 cups – Desalted Bacalhau – cooked and shredded
2 egg yokes
½ medium onion – finely chopped
4 med. Potatoes – Cubed and fried
1 ¾ cups full cream (light cream works well also)
¼ cup full bodied white wine
3 Tbsp. Dijon prepared mustard
½ cup Breadcrumbs – lightly toasted
Cured Sheep cheese or Parmesan type cured cheese
6 Tbsp. Cold butter
Salt & Pepper
1-cup milk + water for boiling

Instructions:

If you purchased desalted cod you can skip this step. Desalt cod by placing portions in water for 24hours. Place salted portions in dish plastic or glass bowl big enough to spread portions out flat and cover with water. Let soak, skin side up for 12 hours, change water, and keep in refrigerator. Refill with refresh water and soak again in refrigerator for another 12 hours

To soften the cod - place the whole desalted portions in water and milk bath that completely covers cod. Let boil for 15 minutes - you will notice cod puff and portions become much more flaky

While cod is cooling, you can preheat oven to 175 C

Drain cod and let cool. Once cool enough to handle, remove the bones and skin from the cod and discard. Place the cod flakes in food processor, pulsing a few times to shred lightly

Peel and cut potatoes into cubes, fry in fresh oil at 350F until golden. *Note- salting French fries lightly before frying gives then a nicer flavor than salting after. Drain French fries on absorbent paper and let cool

In a small sauce pan melt 2Tbsp butter add chopped onion, sauté until transparent, set aside

In a large bowl combine shredded cod, French fries and sautéed onion

In a smaller bowl create a cream mixture, by combining: egg yokes, mustard, salt & pepper and cream. Blend together, then gently add in wine

Pour cream mixture over cod then gently fold until well incorporated

Spoon into individual quiche dishes - sprinkle with breadcrumbs and grated cheese

Dot the tops of each dish with scattered bits of remaining butter

Place in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes

Serve hot with a leafy-green salad, seasoned with a vinaigrette type dressing and a wonderful bottle of your favorite white wine.

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Comments

5 Responses to “Sailors Bacalhau Gratin - Bacalhau a Marinheiro”

Octopus Rice Recipe - Rissoto de Polvo on November 19th, 2007 9:06 pm

[…] of unexpected delicacies deep in the oceans they navigated, salting some for long voyages such as bacalhau (codfish). Other closer to shore brought back the fresh seafood goodness, today both the salted and the […]
Alice on January 11th, 2008 10:04 pm

Thanks for this recipe! It’s on my to-make list for the weekend. I’m so glad I stumbled on your lovely site while searching for a recipe for the delicious cod fish dish my boyfriend and I had in Macao over Christmas. While in Macao, we also had a delicious custard tart that seems like Pasteis de Nata but perhaps with a bit of Chinese crossover. It was ultra yummy anyway, and I look forward to trying your Pasteis de Nata recipe as well.
Eddie on January 14th, 2008 8:22 pm

Hi Alice,

Thank you and I hope you enjoy, both!
Alice on January 16th, 2008 8:45 pm

Well, Eddie, I thought I’d come back and let you know that this recipe is a huge hit (although I have to confess I made a mistake in underestimating the saltiness of the soaked fish so I inadvertently oversalted the dish … which I fixed after the fact by adding about 16 oz of steamed cauliflower … the dish tastes excellent with the cauliflower addition however!!) Next time I make this I will not add any additional salt and perhaps use vidalia sweet onions instead of the spanish onions I had used. The dijon mustard in the recipe really adds a delightful kick and I think the proportion in your recipe is perfect. Thanks again for sharing this recipe and I hope you’ll post more Portuguese recipes in the future.
Eddie on January 18th, 2008 6:03 am

Hi Alice, thank you. Great to hear it was a hit and everyone enjoyed it. We’ve been doing a bit of traveling so haven’t been in the kitchen very much, but will be getting back to it very soon!