Baked Fish/Peixe no Forno

Sometimes you go to the market and a large fish is just saying ‘take me’! It’s hard to resist a good size, fresh local fish which you know will be just perfect for your dinner party! As always look out for signs of freshness (avoid dull eyes, go for bright red gills and a firm touch of the flesh). This is a simple recipe involving little work and is a great change from a meat-based roast.  It features all staple Portuguese ‘temperos’ with bay leave, garlic, white wine and ‘colorau’ giving the fish a unique taste. Thanks for the Quasars for allowing me to cook this at their wonderful home in Montreal and asking for the recipe!!!

Advertisement

Oven roasted salted cod/Bacalhau assado no forno

One of the classics amongst the 1001 bacalhau recipes that guide the Portuguese through each calendar year. This way of cooking cod intensifies its salty flavour and produces an irresistible sauce resulting from the mix of olive oil, garlic and the cod juices. Accompanying the cod is a bed of spring greens and the obligatory “batatas a murro”, baked potatoes, punched open just before serving.

Salted cod needs to be soaked in cold water for 2-3 days (depending on the thickness of the steaks). Water should be changed twice daily. 

Green Purée/Esparregado de Espinafres

This is traditional accompaniment for roast meats, particularly popular as the vegetable dish served with roast kid (cabrito). This recipe replaces the usual use of “nabiças” (the shoots of young turnip greens) for a mix of spinach and spring greens.

Bay Leaves/Louro

Dried Bay Leaves/Folhas de Louro

Roast Pork Shoulder/Pá de Porco Assada

This recipe is based on the standard Portuguese way of roasting pork with a marinade of roasted red pepper paste, garlic, red wine vinegar and white wine. Relatively cheap cuts such as shoulder work particularly well. Although somewhat fatty they hold imense flavour and make for a fantastic slow roast with rich and deep-flavored juices.

Roast Pork Shoulder