Most Popular Portuguese Foods: How to Make Bacalhau à Brás (Recipe Guide)

Few dishes capture the heart of Portuguese home cooking like Bacalhau à Brás — a comforting, flavorful dish made from shredded salt cod, onions, eggs, and thin matchstick potatoes. It’s a staple in Portuguese households and restaurants, known for its humble ingredients and rich, satisfying taste. Salty, creamy, and full of texture, Bacalhau à Brás is the perfect example of how Portuguese cuisine transforms simplicity into something unforgettable.

The dish’s origin traces back to Lisbon’s Bairro Alto neighborhood, where it was created by a tavern owner named Brás (or Braz). Since then, it has become one of Portugal’s most beloved bacalhau preparations out of the 365 rumored ways to cook codfish — one for every day of the year. Salting and drying cod was once a necessity; today, it’s a tradition that continues to flavor many of the country’s most iconic meals.

In this recipe guide, you’ll learn how to make Bacalhau à Brás at home using accessible ingredients, with step-by-step instructions for soaking the salt cod, crisping the potatoes, and folding it all together into a golden, silky scramble. Whether you’re exploring Portuguese cuisine for the first time or reconnecting with your roots, this dish brings heritage, comfort, and flavor to the table.

Read Here Best Traditional Portuguese Dishes and Best breakfast in Portugal

Read here Road trip to Algarve, the most instagrammable places in Portugal and all the things to know before visiting Portugal!

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Best Time to Eat & What to Serve With It

Bacalhau à Brás is typically served as a main course for lunch or dinner, often enjoyed during family meals, holidays, or special gatherings. It’s hearty and filling enough to stand on its own, but still light enough for warm-weather dining — especially when paired with a crisp glass of white wine.

To round out the meal, serve it with a simple green salad with olive oil and vinegar, black olives, or even roasted seasonal vegetables for a colorful contrast. Crusty Portuguese bread or broa (cornbread) is a great addition to soak up any leftover richness on the plate.

For drinks, consider a Vinho Verde or a dry Portuguese white wine like Arinto to cut through the richness. If you’re planning a more traditional spread, add a small plate of presunto (Portuguese cured ham) or sardine pâté to start. Bacalhau à Brás is more than a dish — it’s a taste of Portugal’s coastal soul, best shared with good wine and even better company.

How to Make Bacalhau à Brás

Bacalhau à Brás Recipe Ingredients

500g salt cod, soaked overnight and shredded
4 large potatoes, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks
1 large onion, thinly sliced
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
6 large eggs
Olive oil, for frying
Freshly ground black pepper
Handful of chopped parsley
Black olives, to garnish
Salt (if needed, as the cod can be salty)

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Step By Step How to Make Bacalhau à Brás

Step 1 – Prepare the Cod

Soak the salt cod in water for 24 hours, changing the water several times to remove excess salt. Drain and shred the cod into small pieces. Make sure to remove any bones or skin.

Step 2 – Fry the Potatoes

Slice the potatoes into thin matchsticks. Pat them dry to remove any excess moisture.
Fry Potatoes: Heat a generous amount of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Fry the potato sticks in batches until they are golden and crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

Step 3 – Cook the Cod and Onions

Sauté Onions and Garlic in the same pan, reduce the heat to medium, add more olive oil if needed. Add the shredded cod to the onion mixture and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cod is heated through.

Step 4 – Combine Ingredients

Add the fried potatoes to the pan with the cod and onions, gently mixing them together.

Step 5 – Add the Eggs

Beat the Eggs: In a bowl, beat the eggs with some freshly ground black pepper. You may want to hold off on adding salt until the end, as the cod retains some saltiness even after soaking.
Cook the Eggs: Pour the beaten eggs over the potato and cod mixture, stirring gently over low heat until the eggs are softly set.

Step 6 – Garnish and Serve

Sprinkle chopped parsley over the top and scatter black olives around and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if necessary.

Tips To Make Bacalhau à Brás

Properly desalting the cod is crucial. If possible, start soaking it 36 hours in advance, changing the water every 8 hours. Ensure the potatoes are very thinly sliced to fry up crispy. You can use a mandolin slicer for even and thin slices.
Bacalhau à Brás is typically a standalone dish but can be served with a simple green salad and you can partner with wine.

How Many Calories Has A Bacalhau à Brás

Salt Cod (500g): Generally, cod is quite lean, with approximately 1450 calories for 500g. Potatoes are around 800 calories (200 calories each if each weighs roughly 300g).

Eggs (6 large): One large egg has about 70 calories, so six would contribute around 420 calories.
Olive Oil: Used for frying the potatoes and sautéing the onions and cod. Onions and Garlic are approximately 40-50 calories. Black Olives and Parsley are about 50 calories.
The total of calories combining all these elements each serving would roughly be around 817 calories.