Bacalhau à Brás with Cod

📝 Ingredients

• 500 g cod fillet
• 800 g potatoes (about 5 medium)
• 2 brown onions (about 125 g each)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 6 eggs
• 4 tbsp olive oil (3 for the potatoes, 1 for the onions)
• 50 g pitted black olives
• 15 g fresh flat-leaf parsley (about ¼ bunch)
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt, black pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Mandoline or large knife
• Large mixing bowl and clean tea towel
• 2 baking trays + baking paper
• Saucepan + slotted spoon
• Large frying pan + spatula
• Bowl and fork

📖 Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 220 °C (fan 210 °C, ideal for baking two trays at once). Peel the potatoes and cut them into very thin matchsticks (3 to 4 mm), using a mandoline with the julienne blade or a knife: the thinner they are, the crispier they will be.
2. Rinse the matchsticks in cold water to remove the starch, then dry them thoroughly in a clean tea towel: this is the key step, as moisture stops them from browning. Toss them in the bowl with 3 tbsp olive oil and a pinch of salt.
3. Spread them out in a thin layer on the two lined baking trays, without piling them up. Bake for 20 to 25 min, stirring and swapping the trays every 8 min, until golden and crisp. Keep an eye on them towards the end: the thinnest ones brown quickly.
4. Meanwhile, bring a saucepan of water to a simmer with the bay leaf and a pinch of salt. Add the cod and poach for 5 to 6 min over a low heat, without boiling, until the flesh is white and flakes apart.
5. Lift the fish out with the slotted spoon, leave it to cool for 2 min, then flake it with a fork, carefully removing the skin and any bones. Thinly slice the onions, chop the garlic and finely chop the parsley.
6. In the large frying pan, heat 1 tbsp oil over a medium-low heat and soften the onions for 10 min, stirring, until tender and pale golden, without browning. Add the garlic and flaked cod, then stir for 2 min.
7. Add the golden potatoes to the pan and fold in gently so they don't break. Beat the eggs in a bowl with pepper and a small pinch of salt, then pour them over the mixture, turning the heat down to the lowest setting.
8. Stir constantly with the spatula for 1 to 2 min, just until the eggs are set but still creamy and glossy. Take off the heat slightly before they reach the texture you want: the heat of the pan finishes the cooking, and overcooked eggs turn dry.
9. Immediately scatter over the parsley and black olives, add a twist of black pepper and serve straight away, while the eggs are still silky and the potatoes still have a little crunch.