Bacalhau Espiritual Recipe – A Heavenly Portuguese Cod Bake

Bacalhau Espiritual is a Portuguese cod casserole made with shredded cod sautéed with onions and carrots, coated in a delicious bechamel sauce and baked until golden. It’s slightly similar to Bacalhau com Natas, the key difference is the addition of sautéed carrots bringing a touch of sweetness that contrasts beautifully with the salt cod. This decadent cod dish is no doubt my favourite Portuguese bacalhau recipe, and an absolute crowd pleaser. Keep on reading to learn more about Portuguese Bacalhau Espiritual and how to prepare it!

Bacalhau Espiritual – A French Inspired Cod Dish

There’s a common saying in Portugal: There are 1001 ways of preparing salt cod. Bacalhau Espiritual is perhaps one of the newest additions to the list. It was created in 1947 by the Countess of Almeida Araújo.

About to open a restaurant in Queluz Palace’s old kitchen, she took inspiration on the French dish Brandade Chaude de Morue. Her goal was to create a dish that combined local ingredients with the sophistication of a palace. While Brandade Chaude de Morue has a mousse-like texture and is served as spread, the Portuguese version is heartier and appreciated as the main dish, often served with rice or a simple salad.

Codfish Espiritual

About the Recipe – The Creamiest Cod Bake You’ll Try

This Portuguese codfish casserole basically consists of two components. The first one is a combination of sliced onions, leeks, garlic, shredded carrots, and shredded cod all sautéed in plenty of olive oil until soft. Leeks are a personal touch and not traditionally used, but I find their flavour and texture fits perfectly in this recipe!

The second component is a bechamel sauce made with the milk used to boil the codfish. It’s a simple bechamel sauce made with butter, flour, and full fat milk, seasoned with black pepper and nutmeg. A third of the bechamel sauce is stirred into the cod mixture, and the remaining sauce is combined with egg yolks to form the top layer of the dish which can be topped with cheese or not. If you believe fish and cheese don’t belong together, you can use breadcrumbs instead. Some recipes include egg whites that are whisked and folded into the bechamel to create a soufflé like texture.

Making Bacalhau Espiritual

How to Make Bacalhau Espiritual

To make this authentic Bacalhau Espiritual you first need to flash boil the cod in full fat milk. This step will precook your fish, and most importantly, infuse the milk which will be used to make a bechamel sauce. The next step is to remove the skin and the bones from the fish, and shred it with your hands, you can also use a food blender if you prefer.

Boiling bacalhau Milk

In a separate skillet, we sauté some onions, leeks, garlic, and shredded carrots with plenty of olive oil until nice and soft. You combine the mixture with the shredded cod and set aside while you prepare a thick bechamel.

About a third of the bechamel is stirred into the cod mixture, and the remaining is mixed with egg yolks, heavy cream, and a touch of Dijon mustard. To assemble the dish, pour your cod and onion cream into a baking dish, layer the bechamel sauce on top, then sprinkle it with some shredded cheese. Bake until golden brown, serve with a simple salad or rice.

Serving Cod Espiritual

How to Correctly Desalt Bacalhau

Before we jump to the recipe, you should note that salt cod should be soaked prior to use to remove the salt used in the curing process, unless you are using pre-soaked cod. The best way to do it is to place your fish in a tall container, cover with cold water, and place it in the fridge. The water should be changed at least twice a day. For tall pieces of loin, the process can take between 2 to 3 days so it’s important to plan ahead of time as there isn’t a quick fix for this. With the cod prepping out of the way, the rest of the recipe should be pretty straightforward!

How to Make Portuguese Codfish Espiritual

Codfish Espiritual Recipe – A Heavenly Portuguese Cod Bake

Recipe by Ana Veiga
5.0 from 1 vote
Course: MainCuisine: Mediterranean, PortugueseDifficulty: Easy
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

30

minutes
Cooking time

40

minutes
Calories

651

kcal

Bacalhau Espiritual is a Portuguese cod casserole made with shredded cod sautéed with onions and carrots, coated in a delicious bechamel sauce and baked until golden.

Ingredients

  • 3 Salt Cod Loins (600g)

  • 800 ml Full Fat Milk

  • 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

  • 2 Medium Onions

  • 1 Large Leak (White Part Only)

  • 3 Garlic Cloves

  • 2 Small Carrots

  • 40 g Butter

  • 40 g Flour

  • 50 ml Heavy Cream

  • 1/2 tsp Dijon Mustard

  • 2 Egg Yolks

  • 1 Bay Leaf

  • Ground Nutmeg

  • Black Pepper

  • Salt

  • 60 g Shredded Cheese (Optional)

Directions

  • Start by placing your cod in a small pan alongside the bay leaf. Cover with the milk, place over high heat, bring to a boil. Let it simmer for 5 minutes, then transfer the fish to a bowl for it to cool down. Don’t discard the milk. 
  • Slice the onions and the leek, roughly chop the garlic, shred the carrots. Place a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add in the olive oil, and the sliced onions and leek. Cook for about 5 minutes stirring occasionally.
  • Push the cooked onions and leek to a side, add in the chopped garlic, let it cook for 2 minutes before stirring it into the onions and leeks.
  • Stir in the shredded carrots, let everything cook for another 5 minutes or until soften.
  • In the meantime, remove the skin and bones from the cod, discard it. Use your hands to break the fish into smaller chunks. You can also use a food blender if you prefer it shredded finer. Mix the fish into the sautéed produce. Season with black pepper, turn of the heat, set aside.
  • Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.
  • Add the butter to a separate saucepan, place it over low to medium heat. Once it starts to bubble, add in the flour to make a roux. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring regularly. Gradually add in 500ml of the milk used to cook the cod, stirring with a whisk as you go, until you get a smooth sauce. Continue to cook for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly until it thickens. Season with freshly ground nutmeg, and black pepper.
  • Stir about a third of the bechamel into the sautéed cod mixture. Pour this creamy cod mixture into a baking tray.
  • Add the egg yolks to a bowl, add in a little splash of the hot bechamel to temper them, whisk well to combine. Tip it out into the remaining bechamel, stir immediately to prevent it from coagulating. Stir in the mustard and the heavy cream.
  • Layer the eggy bechamel on top of the creamy cod. Sprinkle with the shredded cheese, bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy with a simple salad or steamed rice.

Tips

  • For a more cohesive and less creamy cod bake, you can soak some stale bread in milk, then crumble it into the sautéed cod mixture before adding in the bechamel.
  • 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.

Have you tried this dish? Let me know in the comments!

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