What to do with Bacalhau

Brazilians’ Portuguese roots are never more obvious than when they break out the Bacalhau. Suddenly they insist on drinking vinho verde and hold strong opinions on whether the brand of azeite (olive oil) on the table is any good. At least that’s how it works in my Brazilian family!

In simple terms, bacalhau (sounds like “backal-YOW”) is cod that has been salted and dried. Way back in the days of the great Portuguese explorers, this was a vital way to preserve the fish for long journeys. Of course today we have refrigerated storage, but the drying and salting process gives the fish a distinct texture and flavour that is highly prized.

Many bacalhau dealers cut the fish across the middle to accentuate the thickness of the fish.

In Britain we call the fresh fish “cod” and the dried, salted version “salt cod” (though apparently people from the west of England refer to salt cod as “toe rag“!). As far as I can tell there is no distinction in Portuguese – both fresh and salted versions are referred to as bacalhau.

When it comes to the salted version, there are a number of different grades and varieties. The thickest part of the fish (lombo) is most expensive, costing around R$60/kg (US$30) in the supermarket. The thinner cuts from around the fins and tail are cheaper, but still a long way from cheap.

Most of the bacalhau in Brazil comes from Norway.

A British journalist who came on the Eat Rio Food Tour recently, made the point that it’s a pretty crazy situation when one of the world’s most affluent countries (Norway) is selling an endangered (=expensive) fish to a country ranked 77 places below it on the list of countries by GDP per capita.

The responsible eaters among you may already be wondering about the ethics of eating a fish whose population is on the verge of collapse. Well yes, good point. I guess one could argue that economics should take care of this by pricing more and more of us out of the market, but tell that to the sturgeon and the rhino.

Gadus morhua – Atlantic cod. Labelled VU (vulnerable) on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Anyway, pontificating aside, there are alternatives. Bacalhau made with proper cod is prominently marked with its Latin name, Gadus morhua. Other dried salted fish available are: Saithe (Coley), Ling (same name English) and Zarbo (Cusk). But don’t think you’re saving the world if you buy Zarbo as it is also listed as “threatened”.

Bacalhau Dishes

The most popular bacalhau dishes in Brazil come straight from the Iberian Peninsula. There are quite a few different variations but common ingredients are black olives, potatotes, boiled eggs and plenty of olive oil!

This is Bacalhau do Rei – large fillets of bacalhau, onions, potatoes, boiled eggs, black olives and spinach.

This is Punheta de bacalhau. I am still a bit disturbed that ‘punheta’ has another meaning which relates to, er, ‘solo man love…’. Why would you use that word for a fish dish? In fact, don’t answer that!

Bacalhau à Espanhola adds tomatoes and bell peppers into the mix.

Due to financial restrictions, those dishes that require R$100 slabs of lombo aren’t going to be making an appearance in my kitchen any time soon. Happily there is an option for the impecunious among us – bolinhos de bacalhau!

Recipe: Bolinhos de Bacalhau

Ingredients

• 300g bacalhau (use the cheaper stuff that comes in lots of small pieces)
• 1 bay leaf
• 5 peppercorns
• 1 small onion, very finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed/very finely chopped
• 1 egg, beaten to mix
• A handful of parsley, very finely chopped
• Mashed potato
• Oil for deep frying

1. You need to soak the bacalhau in water to rehydrate and desalinate it. Do this in the fridge, covered. Most recipes say to soak it for 24 hours, changing the water several times. I found that I could get away with soaking it for more like 12-16 hours. If you’re not sure whether it has been soaked enough, nibble a small piece to see whether you like the level of saltiness – personally I like to keep it a bit salty, but I guess that’s something to experiment with.

2. Now drain the bacalhau from the water it was soaking in and simmer gently in fresh water along with the bay leaf and the peppercorns. After 15 minutes, drain and remove the bay leaf and peppercorns.

3. While the bacalhau is cooling a little, gently fry the onion and garlic. When soft and translucent, set aside to cool.

The bacalhau after cooking and shredding.

4. Pick over the bacalhau, roughly shredding the fish between your fingers or with forks. While you are doing this, make sure you’ve removed any bones or skin. Place the shredded fish in a bowl and mix in the onions, garlic and parsley.

5. Now mix in some mashed potato. The exact amount you add will affect the texture and flavour of your finished bolinhos – more potato gives a smoother texture but less fishy flavour so use your judgement and experiment.

Bacalhau, potatoes, onion and garlic – ready to mix!

6. Mix in some of the beaten egg, gradually. Again, you need to judge what is the best amount – the egg is essential to bind the bolinho together, but too much will make them sloppy and difficult to handle.

7. You are now ready to make your mixture into bolinhos. I found the easiest way was to use a couple of spoons to make quenelle-like structures.

The final mixture, ready to be made into bolinhos! At this stage you can freeze it and save for your next party – your guests will thank you!

8. Now it is time to deep fry your bolinhos. Get the oil hot – around 190°C if you have a thermometer – then drop your bolinhos in, and move them around gently to get a nice golden colour on all sides. Drain on paper towels and then enjoy with wedges of lime and spicy chilli oil.

Crispy, fishy and perfectly salty. Perhaps not perfectly formed, but certainly perfectly delicious!