Bacalhau: Portugal's Salt Cod and the Dishes to Try

Bacalhau, dried and salted cod, is Portugal’s national obsession. Locals say there are 365 ways to cook it, one for every day of the year, and it’s the centrepiece of Christmas Eve dinner. Funny, then, that the cod comes from the cold waters of the North Atlantic, not Portugal. Here’s a guide to bacalhau and the dishes you have to try.

Quick answer: try bacalhau à Brás (shredded cod with egg, onion and matchstick fries), pastéis de bacalhau (cod fritters), bacalhau com natas (baked with cream), bacalhau à Lagareiro (roasted with olive oil and potatoes) and bacalhau à Gomes de Sá from Porto.

Why salt cod?

Portuguese fishermen sailed to Newfoundland and beyond for centuries to catch cod, salting and drying it to survive the long voyages home. Salted cod kept without refrigeration and became a staple for Catholic meat-free days. Today, most bacalhau is imported from Norway and Iceland, but the cooking traditions are pure Portuguese.

The numbers are striking. Portugal is often said to eat around a fifth of the world’s cod, roughly 6kg per person a year, and Norway alone supplies most of it. The Portuguese way of salting and drying is even protected by the EU as a traditional speciality, under the name Bacalhau de Cura Tradicional Portuguesa.

Soaking changes everything. Once the salt is drawn out, the fish is firm, flaky and much richer in flavour than fresh cod. That’s why many Portuguese people prefer it.

The dishes to try

• Bacalhau à Brás: shredded cod scrambled with eggs, onions and thin fried potatoes, topped with olives and parsley. Lisbon’s favourite, said to have been created by a tavern keeper called Brás in Bairro Alto in the 19th century.
• Pastéis (or bolinhos) de bacalhau: crispy cod and potato fritters, sold in every café and pastry shop. A good cheap snack.
• Bacalhau com natas: baked with cream, onions and potatoes, like a rich gratin.
• Bacalhau à Lagareiro: a thick piece of cod roasted with lots of olive oil, garlic and small “punched” potatoes.
• Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá: a Porto classic of flaked cod baked with potatoes, onions, eggs and olives. It’s named after José Luís Gomes de Sá, a Porto cod merchant who came up with it in the late 19th century.
• Bacalhau à Zé do Pipo: baked with mashed potato and mayonnaise, another Porto favourite.
• Pataniscas de bacalhau: cod fritters in batter, often with rice and beans.
• Bacalhau cozido: simply boiled with potatoes, cabbage and eggs, drizzled with olive oil: the Christmas Eve dish.
• Salada de bacalhau: a cold salad of raw, soaked cod with chickpeas or black-eyed beans, onion and olive oil. Lighter, and good in summer.

How to order it

• Portions are big: a single dose often feeds two light eaters. Ask for a meia dose (half portion) where it’s offered.
• Prato do dia: bacalhau often appears as the dish of the day at lunch, which is the cheapest way to try it.
• Price: thick loins (posta alta) cost more than shredded dishes like à Brás, because they use the best part of the fish.
• Watch for bones: roasted and boiled pieces can have a few. Shredded dishes usually don’t.

For the best value, look for a busy local tasca or family restaurant with a handwritten menu, rather than places with photo menus on the main squares. In Porto, Gomes de Sá and Zé do Pipo are on many traditional menus; in Lisbon, à Brás is everywhere. Not sure what to say? See useful Portuguese phrases.

Christmas Eve

The Consoada, the family dinner on 24 December, traditionally centres on boiled bacalhau with potatoes, cabbage and eggs. Supermarkets fill up with cod in the weeks before. See Christmas in Portugal.

Where to learn about it

• Lisbon: a cod interpretation centre opened in 2020 in one of the riverside towers of Praça do Comércio. It tells the story of the cod fleets and the dish, including a replica of the small boats the fishermen worked from. Check current hours before you go.
• Ílhavo, near Aveiro: the Maritime Museum covers the cod-fishing history of the region, and has a large aquarium of live Atlantic cod. It’s usually closed on Mondays. Nearby in Gafanha da Nazaré, the old cod trawler Santo André is now a museum ship. See Aveiro.
• Viana do Castelo: the Gil Eannes, a hospital ship built in 1955 to support the cod fleet off Newfoundland and Greenland, is now a museum in the old dock. You can see its operating theatre, kitchens and engine room. See Viana do Castelo.

When to go

Bacalhau is on menus all year. In December you’ll see the biggest piles in the shops, as families stock up for Christmas Eve. In mid-August, Ílhavo holds a five-day Festival do Bacalhau in Gafanha da Nazaré, with cod cooked by local associations and evening concerts (12 to 16 August in 2026). Check the dates each year.

Buying and cooking it

• In the shops: you’ll see whole stiff, salted cod stacked in supermarkets and grocers. Some sell it already soaked, or frozen and ready to cook.
• Grades: it’s sold by size. Bigger fish give thicker, juicier pieces and cost more per kilo.
• Soaking: it needs to soak in cold water for one to three days (changing the water often) to remove the salt. Keep it in the fridge while it soaks.
• Taking it home: dried cod travels well in checked luggage, sealed in a bag because of the smell, but check your country’s import rules.

What to drink

A glass of white wine or vinho verde, or a full-bodied red with the richer baked dishes. Many Portuguese people happily drink red with bacalhau à Lagareiro.

FAQ

Is bacalhau very salty?

Not when it’s cooked properly. Restaurants soak it for a day or more first, so it tastes firm and savoury rather than salty.

Is bacalhau the same as fresh cod?

It’s the same fish, but salting and drying change the texture and flavour. Fresh cod (bacalhau fresco) is sometimes on menus too, but it’s much less common.

What is the best bacalhau dish for a first try?

Pastéis de bacalhau are the easiest start, as they’re cheap and sold everywhere. For a full meal, bacalhau à Brás is mild and has no bones.

Why do the Portuguese eat so much cod if it isn’t caught in Portugal?

Portuguese fleets fished the far North Atlantic for centuries, and salt cod kept well on meat-free religious days. The habit stayed even after the fleets shrank, so today the cod is imported, mostly from Norway.

More: what to eat in Portugal and Portuguese seafood.

Prices and details change, so please double-check before you travel. Spotted something out of date? Tell us in the groups.