Bacalhau à Brás

Instructions

1. 1 Soak the salt cod in cold water for twenty-four to forty-eight hours, changing the water every eight hours. The fish should lose most of its salt but retain a pleasant savoury flavour. Taste a small piece; it should be mildly salty, not aggressively so.
2. 2 Drain the soaked cod and place in a pot of cold water. Bring to a gentle simmer (never boil) and poach for fifteen minutes until the fish flakes easily. Remove, let cool, then flake into large chunks, discarding any skin and bones.
3. 3 Boil the sliced potatoes in salted water for eight minutes until just tender but still holding their shape. They should be cooked through but not falling apart, as they will bake further in the oven. Drain carefully to keep the slices intact.
4. 4 Heat three tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet. Slowly cook the sliced onions and garlic over medium-low heat for fifteen minutes until very soft, sweet, and golden. This slow, gentle cooking draws out the natural sweetness of the onions.
5. 5 Preheat the oven to 190C. Layer the ingredients in a large baking dish: start with potato slices, then flaked cod, then caramelized onions. Repeat the layers. Drizzle generously with the remaining olive oil and season with pepper between each layer.
6. 6 Arrange the sliced hard-boiled eggs and black olives decoratively over the top layer. Bake for twenty-five minutes until the top is golden and the edges are bubbling. The potatoes should be lightly crisped where exposed to the oven heat.
7. 7 Remove from the oven and scatter generously with chopped fresh parsley. Let rest for five minutes before serving directly from the baking dish. Bacalhau a Bras is one of Portugal's three hundred and sixty-five traditional salt cod recipes, one for every day of the year.