Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá

Ingredients

• 600 g salt cod, soaked and desalted
• 300 ml whole milk
• 800 g waxy potatoes
• 500 g onions, thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 120 ml extra virgin olive oil
• 4 eggs
• 80 g black olives
• 1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt and black pepper

Before you cook

• Soak the salt cod in cold water in the fridge for 24 hours, changing the water four times.
• Warm the milk to just below a simmer and take it off the heat.
• Pour the warm milk over the drained cod in a bowl and leave it to steep for 1 hour.
• Peel the onions and slice them thinly.
• Heat the oven to 190C.

Steps

1. Boil the potatoes in their skins in salted water for 20 minutes, until tender.
2. Drain the potatoes and leave them until cool enough to handle.
3. Boil the eggs for 9 minutes, then cool them under cold running water.
4. Peel the potatoes and cut them into 1 cm slices.
5. Lift the cod from the milk and reserve the milk in a jug.
6. Flake the cod into coarse pieces with your fingers, pulling out any bones and skin.
7. Heat 80 ml of the olive oil in a large pan over low heat.
8. Add the onions, garlic and bay leaves and cook for 20 minutes, until completely soft and sweet.
9. Take the pan off the heat and season the onions with pepper.
10. Fold the flaked cod and the potato slices gently through the onions.
11. Pour in 100 ml of the reserved milk and turn everything over once so it is just moistened.
12. Tip the mixture into an oiled baking dish and level the top without pressing it down.
13. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the surface.
14. Bake for 25 minutes, until the top is patched with gold.
15. Peel and quarter the eggs while the dish rests for 5 minutes.
16. Scatter the olives, egg quarters and chopped parsley over the top and serve hot.