Salt cod flaked and cooked with olive oil, garlic and onion, served with potatoes, black olives, parsley and boiled eggs: a Porto dish named for its creator.

José Luís Gomes de Sá Júnior (1851 to 1926), a cod merchant working in a warehouse on Rua do Muro dos Bacalhoeiros in Ribeira, created the dish in the 19th century. He sold the recipe to his colleague and close friend João, the chef of the now-defunct Restaurante Lisbonense on Travessa dos Congregados. In the original method the cod is flaked and soaked in milk for about an hour and a half to two hours before it is cooked.

Where to eat Bacalhau a Gomes de Sa in Porto

The editor picks for Bacalhau a Gomes de Sa in Porto are still in research. Meanwhile, see the Porto signature-dishes index or the Porto food guide.

Book food experiences in Porto

See all 2244 food experiences in Porto

Make it at home

Serves 424 hrEasy

Ingredients

  • 600g salt cod loin, soaked for 24 hours with three water changes
  • 800g floury potatoes, peeled
  • 2 large onions, sliced thin
  • 4 cloves of garlic, sliced
  • 4 hard-boiled eggs
  • 100g black olives
  • 200ml extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Flat-leaf parsley, chopped
  • Black pepper

Method

  1. Soak salt cod 24 hours, changing water three times. Boil for 8 minutes until just cooked. Drain, cool, shred into large flakes, removing skin and bones.
  2. Boil potatoes whole in salted water for 25 minutes. Drain, cool, slice into 5mm rounds.
  3. Fry onions and garlic in 100ml olive oil over low heat with the bay leaf, 25 minutes, until soft and golden.
  4. Layer half the potatoes in an oven dish, half the cod, half the onions. Repeat.
  5. Pour over remaining olive oil. Bake at 180C for 25 minutes until heated through.
  6. Garnish with quartered eggs, olives and parsley. Serve with the baking dish at the table.

Editor tip. The cod must be soaked for at least 24 hours; under-soaked and the dish is too salty. Buy thick centre loins not tail pieces; they hold their shape after shredding.

Common allergens: Fish, Egg.