Recipe: Portuguese Style Cod Fish (Bacalao) and Codfish Casserole

Portuguese Style Cod Fish
From Chef Timothy McNulty
Servings: 2
Source: From The Lobster Pot (Provincetown, MA)

14 oz. codfish,
6 oz stuffing ,
1-oz bay scallops,
1 oz baby shrimp,
1 oz crabmeat,
1 oz Bermuda onion (sliced very thin),
8 oz Pico sauce),
2 oz butter

Stuffing
2 oz. butter (melted),
1 1/2 oz. carrot (diced small),
1 1/2 oz. onion (diced small),
l 1/2 oz. celery (diced small),
12 oz mushrooms (sliced),
1 pint sherry
2 tsp. basil,
3/4 tsp. thyme,
1/4 tsp. black pepper,
3/4 tsp. oregano,
1/4 tsp. black pepper,
24-oz. bread crumbs

Pico Sauce
2 oz. peanut oil,
l (2 tbs.) Garlic (minced),
1 lb. Onions (diced medium),
1 tbs. Basil,
3/4 tbs. Oregano,
1/2 tbs. Thyme,
2 cups rose wine,
4 1/2 cups whole peeled tomatoes (hand crushed)

Make stuffing. In a small saut pan, cook the scallops, crab and shrimp in 1 oz of the butter. (Cook seafood only half way). Then mix it into the stuffing. In a casserole, place the codfish on top of the stuffing. Season with cumin and then place the onion on the fish. Pour the remaining butter over the fish and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Pour warm Pico sauce on fish and continue baking for 10-15 minutes more.

Stuffing
Melt butter and saut carrots, onions and celery until three-quarters cooked. Add sherry and mushrooms. Cook 5 more minutes on high heat. Add seasonings and stir in. Fold in breadcrumbs. If you want to bind the stuffing more, just add one or two whole eggs.

Pico Sauce
In an 8-quart pot, heat the oil and saut the garlic and onions. When the onions are translucent, season them and add the wine. Reduce the wine by half. Add tomatoes.

Codfish Casserole
Source: Holly Carter

1 lb. salted, dried codfish
6 large potatoes, peeled
6 eggs
1 head of broccoli, cut into 4 sections
2 large onions, chopped
Olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper

Place the codfish in a large bowl of water and allow to soak overnight. Drain and put the cod, potatoes, the eggs in their shells, and the broccoli in a large soup kettle. Cover with water and boil gently until the potatoes are cooked. The eggs will become hard-boiled.

Saut the onions in a little bit of olive oil until the onions are soft, but not browned and set aside. Slice the potatoes. Shell the hard-boiled eggs and slice. Cut the broccoli into bite-sized pieces.

In a 13 x 9 baking dish layer the fish, potatoes, eggs slices, onions and broccoli, always beginning with the fish. Drizzle some olive oil over the casserole and bake in a 350 oven for 20 minutes. Serve with black olives and Portuguese bread. Serves 6.