First attempt at cooking Homemade Bacalhau a Lagareiro

Hello reader’s, many of you might have found out over the past few blog posts that I like Portuguese food. Well when I say like, I actually mean love. My favourite dishes are  Bacalhau a Lagareiro ( Cod fish in Olive  Oil ) and  Polvo a Lagareiro ( Octopus a Lagareiro). I had both at a restaurant in London Streatham called Barros and during a recent trip to Porto . The minute I had a mouthful of that olive oil infused cod and slightly charred potatoes I knew I had to learn to cook a homemade bacalhau a Lagareiro .

If it’s grilled and swims in tons of Olive oil, butter and goose fat, I’m a fan . That probably explains why I love French food and why Nicki Kirkman grimaces when she sees another Camembert and crackers post on Facebook. I keep trying this healthy stuff…but the bad stuff tastes sooo much better. That said olive oil is meant to be healthy, So I guess I’m half way there already.

My friend Catia mentioned she was going back home to Portugal for a week, so I cheekily asked if she could bring back some Bacalhau  and she kindly agreed. Thanks for contributing to my eating ‘in is the new eating out ‘blog series Catia.

Ps I know Rui, Paulo, Miguel, Cristina  and Marina are probably cheering on my attempt at cooking one of their nations top dishes. Thinking about it…I bet they probably laughed and fell of their chair before clicking on this blog post. Here goes my first attempt at cooking a homemade Bacalhau a Lagareiro

Cooking Bacalhau a Lagareiro

The Bacalhau arrived with instructions from Catias mum last week. I had to rinse and soak it in water for a 2-3 days , making sure I changed the water daily to to get rid of salt.

Pan fried the cod for 4 minutes, skin side up

Place in a dish and tuck some boiled potatoes around it. Add 2 cloves of garlic , onions , thyme/ rosemary and a generous amount of olive…a very generous amount.

Place in a 160C degrees oven for 30 minutes

Pour yourself a bottle of white wine and eat with a smile on your face

There goes my first attempt at cooking a homemade bacalhau a Lagareiro. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I loved eating it. Please leave tips in the comment section below.

Cristina, Miguel, Catia, Paulo, Marina and Rui…How about we quit the NHS after this isolation and open a Portuguese restaurant. I can definitely be the head chef……..