Bacalhau à Lagareiro

Cod

• 4 salt cod loins, ~200 g each, thick; desalted 36–48 h in the fridge with 4–5 water changes
• 0 to cover olive oil, for confiting, held at 65–70 °C
• 0 a splash milk, optional, in the final desalting water to silken the flesh(optional)

To roast and finish

• 800 g small potatoes, boiled, then smashed flat (batatas a murro)
• 6 garlic, sliced
• 2 onions, sliced, optional(optional)
• 200 ml olive oil, to drench — this is à lagareiro, abundance is the point
• 0 to finish coriander, chopped
• 0 to finish coarse salt

Desalt and confit

1. 1

   Start 1–2 days out: rinse the surface salt from 4 thick cod loins, submerge in cold water, and keep them in the FRIDGE. Change the water every 6–8 h — thick loins want 36–48 h and 4–5 changes. Before you stop, TASTE a sliver: it should read pleasantly mild, faintly saline, never aggressive. A splash of milk in the final water change softens the skin.

   10m

   Desalt in the fridge, not at room temperature, and taste before cooking — thickness varies.

   Bacalhau — Desalting & Olive-Oil Confit
2. 2

   Dry the desalted loins well, then submerge them in olive oil held at 65–70 °C (use a thermometer — barely a shimmer, no real bubbles) for 12–18 min. The flesh sets gently into large, glossy, clean-separating flakes that no boiled version matches.

   18m65–70 °C

   Confit, don't boil — above ~75 °C the collagen seizes and the flesh dries.

   Bacalhau — Desalting & Olive-Oil Confit

Assemble and roast

1. 3

   Meanwhile boil 800 g small potatoes until tender, drain, and press each one flat — batatas a murro — so they crisp and drink oil.

   20m
2. 4

   Arrange the confited cod and smashed potatoes in a roasting dish, scatter over 6 sliced garlic cloves (and 2 sliced onions, if you like), and drench everything generously with 200 ml olive oil. Roast at 200 °C for 20–25 min, just to crisp the potato edges and turn the garlic golden — the cod is already cooked, so this is colour, not further cooking. Finish with chopped coriander and a little coarse salt, and serve with every drop of the garlicky oil spooned over.

   25m200 °Croasting dish

   Tip: À lagareiro means 'the olive-press way' — 200 ml is not a typo; the abundance is the dish.