Bacalhau à Lagareiro: Portuguese Baked Codfish with Potatoes

Bacalhau à Lagareiro is a classic Portuguese dish of cod baked with plenty of olive oil, garlic, onions, and mixed herbs. It’s often served with smashed baby potatoes. It’s a versatile dish that you will find in most traditional Portuguese restaurants. It features basic Portuguese ingredients that are combined in a beautiful way. I always make this dish when I want to introduce friends and family to the wonders of Portuguese cuisine, especially bacalhau.

Authentic Lagareiro Style Codfish

To make this traditional Portuguese dish you only need a few ingredients. That is, salt cod loins, extra virgin olive oil of good quality, baby potatoes, onions, garlic, and fresh herbs such as: bay leaves, thyme, and rosemary.

There are lots of different ways of preparing this dish, my favourite one is to infuse the olive oil with the onions, garlic, and herbs before drizzling the fish with it. The onions will soften a little and taste slightly sweet balancing out the saltiness of the fish! The secret is not to be afraid of using lots of olive oil. After all it’s called Bacalhau à Lagareiro, meaning ‘olive oil mill style cod’ for a reason.

Infused Oil for Bacalhau a Lagareiro

Batatas à murro – Punched Potatoes

Another important part of the recipe is the smashed potatoes that Portuguese speakers call batatas à murro – punched potatoes. They can either be boiled or baked until they are soft enough to be ‘punched’ or lightly smashed before you bake them with the fish.

Punched Potatoes served alongside Bacalhau a lagareiro

Before we jump to the recipe, if this is your first time cooking salted bacalhau, keep in mind you need to soak it to remove the extra salt. This process can take from a couple of hours to several days, it all depends on the thickness of your fish. I will be using loins that I soaked for 3 days, changing the water at least twice a day.

Lagareiro Style Cod Recipe

Start by preheating the oven to 180°C. While it heats up, drain your soaked codfish, place it in a pan, cover with boiling water, simmer for 10 minutes. Set aside.

Rinse the baby potatoes, give them a good scrub with a food brush. Transfer them to a baking tray, drizzle them with a little olive oil, then season with salt and pepper. Run a sprig of rosemary through water, add it on top of the potatoes. This will prevent it from burning too quickly. Bake the potatoes for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, place a frying pan over low to medium heat. Once hot, add in the olive oil with the sliced onions, a bay leaf, and a couple of sprigs of fresh thyme. Cook for about 5 minutes, add in the sliced garlic, cook for another 5 minutes or until the onions turn translucent.

Once the potatoes are fork-tender, gently smash them with a masher until they split open. Place them on a bigger baking tray with the cod loins (skin facing down).

Drizzle with the infused olive oil, add in the onions, garlic, and herbs too! Season with black pepper, then bake for 10 minutes, flip the potatoes, baste the fish with olive oil. Bake again for another 10 minutes or until lightly golden!

Bacalhau a Lagareiro

How to Make Portuguese Baked Cod with Potatoes

Bacalhau à Lagareiro – Portuguese Baked Codfish with Potatoes

Recipe by Ana Veiga
5.0 from 2 votes
Course: MainsCuisine: Mediterranean, PortugueseDifficulty: Easy
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

35

minutes
Cooking time

20

minutes
Calories

510

kcal

Bacalhau à Lagareiro is a classic Portuguese dish of cod baked with plenty of olive oil, garlic, onions, and mixed herbs.

Ingredients

  • 800 g 800 Salt Cod Loins – Pre Soaked

  • 600 g 600 Baby Potatoes – Skin On

  • 1 1 Medium Onion

  • 5 5 Garlic Cloves

  • 100 ml 100 Olive Oil

  • Fresh Thyme

  • Fresh Rosemary

  • 1 1 Bay Leaf

  • Black Pepper

Directions

  • Start by preheating the oven to 180°C. While it heats up, drain your codfish, then cook it in boiling water for 10 minutes. Set aside.
  • Rinse the baby potatoes, give them a good scrub with a food brush. Place them on a baking tray, season with salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Dip a sprig of rosemary in water, add it on top of the potatoes. Bake it for 30 minutes.
  • In the meantime, place a frying pan over low to medium heat. Add in the olive oil with the sliced onions, a bay leaf, and a couple of sprigs of fresh thyme. Cook for about 5 minutes, add in the sliced garlic, fry for another 5 minutes or until the onions are softer and translucent.
  • Once the potatoes are fork-tender, gently smash them with a potato masher until they split open.
  • Transfer the cooked cod loins to a big baking tray with the skin facing down, place the smashed potatoes around the fish.
  • Cover the fish and potatoes with the infused olive oil. Add in the onions, garlic, and herbs too!
  • Season with black pepper, then bake for 10 minutes, flip the potatoes, baste the fish with olive oil. Bake again for another 10 minutes or until lightly golden. Enjoy!

Notes

  • You need to soak the salt cod to remove the salt used to preserve it. The process can take up to three days, so plan in advance.
  • You usually won’t need to season it with salt as there will be some residual salt on the fish still.

Have you tried this recipe? Please let me know in the comments! I would love to hear from you!

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