Centro Interpretativo da História do Bacalhau

Codfish is the single delicacy appreciated by everyone. There are 1001 possible ways for our ‘loyal friend’ to come to the table and it is one of the symbols of Portuguese gastronomy deeply rooted in the eating habits of the Portuguese. Find out the recipes for our traditional cuisine, its origin, and history in the Codfish Encyclopaedia.

Tips for cooking codfish

1

When choosing cod it is important to notice if there are no dark rays of blood on the flaps or other stains.

2

When cutting codfish, remember that the fillets must be the same height so that the time for desalting is identical.

3

For codfish to be good its curing process must take several months, at least six months to be precise (the ideal would be nine months).

4

Wash the codfish two or three times before soaking it. It would be ideal to soak it in fresh running water from a stream like in the old days, in clean chlorine-free water. Not being able to do this, you should soak it in cold water in the fridge. Codfish ought to be soaked for approximately 48 hours during which you ought to change the water three times.

5

Do not boil, poach the codfish. When cooking codfish all you need to do is boil water with a clove of garlic and a bay leaf. As soon as the water begins to boil add the codfish. As soon as it appears to be boiling up again turn it off and wait 15 minutes. The codfish is done.