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Bacalhau com todos

Bacalhau com todos is a Portuguese dish of soaked salt cod poached gently and served with potatoes, cabbage, carrots and hard boiled eggs, finished with olive oil and garlic. For 4 people, it takes 1 hour, is rated easy and costs about €5.00 per person. The key to success is poaching the cod gently, never at a full boil.

Tonight, bacalhau com todos, the Portuguese Christmas Eve dish, poached salt cod with all its vegetables and hard boiled eggs, drizzled with olive oil.

Bacalhau com todos
Total time
1 h
Difficulty
Easy
Cost per person
€5.00
Calories per person
740 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Winter, Fall
The kids
They generally like it

Bacalhau com todos literally means cod with everything, every vegetable cooked in the same pot of water, every hard boiled egg cut into wedges, all that olive oil poured generously right before serving. Gently poached salt cod stays tender and flakes into big pearly pieces, nothing like the dry, overly salty fish some people expect. Raw garlic, warmed just enough in the olive oil, adds a clean punch without any bitterness.

It is the dish many Portuguese families serve on Christmas Eve, but there is no reason not to make it on a cold Sunday to warm up, or on a calmer weeknight since everything simmers quietly in the same water. Kids can easily spot their favorite vegetables and eggs and pick what they like best from the plate. It is also an easy dish for guests, since everything can be cooked ahead and simply arranged right before serving.

The ingredients

4 people

Fish counter

  • Soaked salt cod 800 g

Fruits and vegetables

  • Potatoes 800 g
  • Green cabbage 0.5
  • Carrots 3
  • Garlic 4 cloves

Dairy

  • Eggs 4

Pantry

  • Wine vinegaroften in the pantry 2 tbsp
  • Olive oiloften in the pantry 10 tbsp
  • Pepperoften in the pantry 1 pinch

Allergens Fish, Eggs

The step by step recipe

  1. Boil the eggs until hard, then cool and peel them. 10 min

    Drop them into cold water, they peel more easily.

  2. Cook the potatoes whole in their skins in salted water, then remove them. 25 min

    Keep the cooking water for the other vegetables, it carries a nice flavor.

  3. In the same water, cook the whole carrots and the cabbage cut into large chunks. 15 min

    Remove the vegetables as soon as each one turns tender.

  4. Lower the cod into water that is just barely simmering and let it poach. 10 min

    Never let the water reach a full boil, the flesh would turn tough and dry.

  5. Warm the olive oil with the sliced garlic and the vinegar, arrange the cod, vegetables and eggs, then drizzle it over. 3 min

    Don't let the garlic brown, it should only infuse the oil.

Our tips to get it right

  • Pick firm, evenly sized potatoes so they finish cooking at the same time and hold their shape.
  • Cut the cabbage into fairly large chunks so it keeps some bite and doesn't fall apart in the cooking water.
  • Serve the dish warm rather than piping hot, the flavors of the cod and olive oil come through better at that temperature.

The variations

  • Swap the salt cod for fresh cod poached the same way if you don't have time to soak salted fish, the flavor will be milder.
  • For a vegetarian version, skip the cod and double the vegetables and eggs, the olive oil and garlic keep the spirit of the dish.
  • For kids in a hurry, arrange each element separately on the plate instead of mixing them, some prefer picking at individual pieces.

What to serve it with

  • Crusty bread to soak up the olive oil
  • A chilled Portuguese white wine
  • A tomato salad in summer

Storage

Keep leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 2 days, poached salt cod doesn't hold much longer than that. Reheat gently in a pan or steamer without boiling, so the fish doesn't dry out. Freezing isn't recommended because of the potatoes and the already cooked hard boiled eggs.

Questions about this dish

Can you use fresh cod instead of salt cod?

Yes, you skip the soaking step and the dish comes together faster. The flavor will be milder and less distinctive, but the texture stays close once poached.

Can you make bacalhau com todos ahead of time?

You can cook the vegetables, eggs and cod a few hours ahead and keep them covered in the fridge. Reheat gently and make the garlic oil right before serving to keep its aroma.

Why does the salt cod need such a long soak?

Salt cod is packed with preserving salt that needs to leach out into the water. Without 24 to 48 hours of soaking, the dish turns out far too salty to eat.

How do you know when the cod is properly poached?

The flesh should flake easily into pieces with the tip of a knife, without resisting. If it still looks translucent in the center, let it poach a few more minutes without letting the water boil.

How long does it take to make a bacalhau com todos?

Count 1 h in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “easy”.

How many calories are in a bacalhau com todos?

About 740 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does a bacalhau com todos cost?

About €5.00 per serving, or €20.00 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains fish, eggs. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

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