Recipe: Bacalhau a Bras by Henrique Sá Pessoa

For a real style of Portugal, this conventional recipe combines tender, salted cod flakes with golden potato strips, scrambled eggs, onions and parsley. The result’s an expertly mixed dish bursting with flavour. 

Components

100g salt cod100g pitted black olives, drained160ml vegetable oil, plus 1 tbsp1 small onion, finely sliced (about 50g)400ml olive oil1 small potato, peeled (about 60g)1 egg, plus 2 egg yolks Small handful of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Technique

Soak the cod in chilly water for 10 hrs, ensuring it is absolutely submerged. Change the water thrice throughout this time.Warmth the oven to 120C/100C fan/gasoline 1⁄2. Put the olives on a baking tray and bake for 3 hours to three hours quarter-hour, shaking the tray often till the olives are agency and dried out. Put aside to chill, then switch to a mini blender and blitz till finely damaged down – keep away from over-processing so it does not turn out to be a paste.Warmth 1 tbsp of the vegetable oil in a medium frying pan over a low-medium warmth and prepare dinner the onion with a beneficiant pinch of salt for half-hour till gentle and evenly golden, stirring often to stop sticking. If the onions begin to catch. add a splash of water and blend nicely. As soon as cooked, put aside.In the meantime, totally drain the cod, pat dry utilizing kitchen paper, then switch to a small pan and canopy with the olive oil.Set over a low warmth and gently simmer for 18-20 minutes – if the oil begins to bubble, scale back the warmth additional. When prepared, the fish needs to be tender and straightforward to flake. Switch the fish to a plate lined with kitchen paper utilizing a slotted spoon, and depart to empty.Lower the potato into strips utilizing a julienne peeler, then plunge right into a bowl of chilly water and depart to soak for 15 minutes earlier than draining and rinsing – it will assist take away any extra starch.Lower the potato strips between sheets of kitchen paper and gently pat dry to take away as a lot moisture as doable. Warmth the remaining 160ml of vegetable oil in a medium pan to 140C.Fry the potatoes in two batches for 3-4 minutes per batch, stirring often, till evenly golden. Drain on kitchen paper.Evenly beat the egg with 1 egg yolk, seasoning evenly. Flake the fish and blend with the onions and half of the fried potatoes.Warmth a big frying pan over a low-medium warmth and prepare dinner the fish combination for 2-3 minutes or till simply warmed by. Cut back the warmth to its lowest setting, then stir within the egg and prepare dinner briefly till the egg is moist however not visibly runny or moist.Instantly take away from the warmth and stir within the remaining potato strips and two-thirds of the parsley. Style for seasoning and add extra salt if wanted – keep in mind the cod is salted.Put a 12cm cooking ring within the centre of a serving plate.Spoon within the combination and pat down utilizing the again of the spoon, making a slight dip within the centre.Take away the ring and punctiliously add the remaining egg yolk to the centre.Fastidiously sprinkle the olive crumb and remaining parsley across the fringe of the bacalhau a bras, then serve.

Henrique Sa Pessoa educated on the Cordon Bleu Institute and is the third chef in Portuguese historical past to obtain the accolade of two Michelin stars, awarded to his Lisbon restaurant Alma in 2018. He made his London debut in February with JOIA, the skyline Iberian restaurant on the fifteenth ground of the artwork’otel Battersea. 

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