Bacalhau à Brás

Bacalhau à Brás is shredded salt cod pan-fried with straw-cut potatoes and bound in soft scrambled egg — one of Portugal's most-cooked bacalhau dishes, said to have been invented in a tavern in Lisbon's Bairro Alto.

What it really is

Desalted, poached cod is shredded into fine flakes and fried in olive oil with onion and garlic. Straw-cut fried potatoes, bought ready-made by most kitchens, are stirred in; beaten eggs go in off the heat and are folded through only until soft and creamy, never set firm. Black olives and parsley finish the dish.

It is a dish built to use up bacalhau, not to showcase it whole. Portugal is said to have a recipe for salt cod for every day of the year, and à Brás — named for the tavern keeper credited with inventing it — is the one built entirely around egg and potato rather than a sauce.

How it is served

• Hot, straight from the pan, scattered with black olives and parsley.
• As a plate on its own, not with rice or bread.
• The egg stays soft — an overcooked à Brás turns into an omelette.

How to write it on the menu

• Say the potatoes are fried and the cod is salted, not fresh — both explain the texture and the saltiness.
• Mention the egg; a soft scramble is not what every guest expects from a "cod dish."

The ingredients, allergens and dietary notes listed here describe a typical recipe. They are not a binding declaration for any particular restaurant: recipes, portion sizes and the products used can differ.