Codfish and Spinach Soup (Alentejo’s Recipes)
There is no place in Portugal without its typical codfish soup. There are many variations. With or without vegetables, with or without stock, codfish soup is just another uplifting recipe made with our loyal friend.
This soup is originally from rural areas around the country, but it is mostly successful in Alentejo.
The so-called Sopa de bacalhau do conselheiro comes from the family recipe of Mr Domingos Pereira de Braga, who was the mayor in 1919. There are records showing that this soup was extremely appreciated in the whole region.
Alentejo’s codfish soup is often made with spinach. In Alto Alentejo spinach is replaced with curly dock.
The ‘Almoço da Freira Spinach Soup’ is also a variant of this region’s codfish soup. Farmers would prepare this soup on the day of the fair and serve it to family and friends.
Stock-free soup, which was usually prepared with meat or vegetables, became obviously worthy of a codfish variant.
Sauté a chopped onion, four chopped cloves of garlic, and a bunch of chopped coriander in a decilitre (0.1 pints) of olive oil. Season with salt. Cook a codfish fillet and rinse it in water. Leave it in the mixture, allow it to simmer, and then boil four potatoes.
After you have boiled the potatoes in the broth, cook a bunch of spinach and a handful of rice. At the end, pour a stroke of vinegar to taste.
Guedes, F. (2001). As 100 maneiras de cozinhar Bacalhau e outros peixes. Lisboa: Publicações Dom Quixote, p. 64-65
Saramago, A. (2000). Cozinha do Minho. (pp.53) Lisboa: Assírio & Alvim, p. 53; 78
Selecções do Reader’s Digest. (1984). Tesouros da Cozinha Tradicional Portuguesa. Porto.