Bacalhau à Brás with crispy potato

Name: Bacalhau à Brás with crispy potato
Total time: 40 min
Cuisine: Portuguese
Ingredients: 400g salt cod, soaked, see step 1; 500g potatoes, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks; 1 onion, thinly sliced; 3 garlic cloves, sliced; 6 eggs, beaten; 4 tbsp olive oil; 12 black olives, stoned; 2 tbsp chopped parsley; 1 tsp black pepper

Flaked salt cod, soft scrambled egg and crisp matchstick potatoes, the Lisbon dish everyone loves.

Time40 min plus soaking
LevelMedium
Costabout £3.41 a head

Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.

4 servings

Ingredients

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400 gsalt codsoaked, see step 1
500 gpotatoespeeled and cut into thin matchsticks
1onionthinly sliced
3garlic clovessliced
6eggsbeaten
4 tbspolive oil
12black olivesstoned
2 tbspchopped parsley
1 tspblack pepper

Method

1
Soak the salt cod in plenty of cold water in the fridge for 24 to 48 hours, changing the water 3 or 4 times. Taste a flake: it should be pleasantly salty, not harsh.
2
Put the cod in a pan of cold water, bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Drain, remove skin and bones and flake the fish.
5 min
3
Pat the potato matchsticks very dry. Shallow fry in 3 tbsp of the oil in batches for 5 minutes until golden and crisp. Drain on kitchen paper.
5 min
4
In a wide pan, soften the onion and garlic in the remaining oil for 8 minutes until sweet.
8 min
5
Stir in the cod and cook for 2 minutes. Fold in the potatoes.
6
Pour in the beaten egg and stir over a low heat for 1 to 2 minutes until just creamy and barely set. Scatter with olives, parsley and pepper and serve straight away.
2 min

Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.