In 1773, people were already reported to be eating codfish in the north of Portugal although it was not considered a first-class good.
In the 20th century, Brito Camacho referred to those days saying that Minho's rural workers – the poorest members of the rural society – had a daily meal based on bread and broth ‘eating a slice of codfish or a piece of bacon once or twice a week’ (Camacho 1927: 130). Codfish is always present in Minho’s Christmas Eve dinners.
In spite of salmon and lamprey consumption in rivers Minho and Coura, there are several codfish recipes in this area. Codfish is often consumed in this region, in festivities and processions as well as lunch for agricultural workers. ‘Minho-Style Codfish’ stands out from all the typical codfish recipes being the speciality of many restaurants in the region.
Fry the codfish fillets in olive oil.
Thinly slice the potatoes, season with a little bit of salt, and fry in the olive oil used for frying the codfish. Also slice the onions and chop the cloves of garlic. Heat it in 1.5dl (0.2pt) of olive oil and when they are slightly brown pour some whine on top and let it boil.
Remove from the heat, let it cool down a bit and add paprika.
Place the codfish at the centre of a clay roaster with the potatoes around it, and cover with the onions.
Roast it for ten minutes. Serve immediately decorated with olives.
"Receitas e Sabores dos Territórios Rurais", MINHA TERRA - Federação Portuguesa de Associações de Desenvolvimento Local
Sobral, J. M.; Rodrigues, P. (2013) O “fiel amigo”: o bacalhau e a identidade portuguesa. Etnográfica 17 (3), p.619-649.
Camacho, B. (1927) Jornadas. Lisboa: Guimarães e C.ª.