I had a bacalhau and chickpea salad in Lisbon which was the best dish in the trip. I replicated it with normal cod instead. It is easy to make and quite filling!
A Homefood in Portugal
Bacauhal (salted cod) is a delicacy in Portugal, and probably every Portuguese restaurant have at least one or two bacauhal dishes. They can be prepared in a variety of ways, and one of which is a salad made of bacalhau and chickpeas.
I ate this dish in a small family-run restaurant (Casa da Tia Helena) in Alfama, a Lisbon’s old town. It cost around €8.9 and the portion was big. The ingredients were simple – bacalhau torn into small pieces, plus chickpeas, onions, salad greens, herbs and a little olives. The taste was vinegary and refreshing. I fell in love with it immediately!
Replace Bacalhau with Normal Cod
I didn’t have any bacalhau on hand, but there was cod. So I pan-seared it and added some salt, try to mimic the bacalhau. Of course, the taste was milder, because bacalhau is a finished product that has been salted and fermented, and the flavour profile will be much more complex. But it’s okay to use cod instead. It’s low in sodium and healthier!
Ingredients
Serves 2
- 100 g dried chickpea (or use tinned chickpeas)
- 2 frozen cod fillets, thawed
- salt and pepper
- ½ small onion, diced
- 10 g fresh coriander, chopped
- 2 handful salad leaves
- juice of ½ lemon (or more)
- 2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
How to Make Portuguese Style Cod and Chickpea Salad
- Soak the chickpeas overnight or about 8 hours. Use 4-5 times water, add 1% salt, pressure cook for 10 mins. Release pressure naturally, drain and set aside the chickpeas. (Don’t waste the chickpea broth, it’s very tasty! You can use it as a normal broth.)
- Heat some oil in a pan, cook the cod fish and season with salt and pepper. When cooked, use a spatula to break the fish into small pieces, move aside in the pan.
- Next, cook the onions in the same pan. No need to cook till too soft if you prefer some bites. (Or you can eat it raw. Soak them in water can reduce spiciness)
- Place the salad leaves on a plate, add the cod and onions. Scatter around the fresh coriander and freshly squeeze in a generous amount of lemon juice. Toss everything together and enjoy!
More Easy and Tasty Salad Recipes
- Moroccan Mezze Recipe: Courgette and Egg Salad with Cumin
- Wakame Seaweed and Bean Sprouts Salad
- Quinoa Salad with Chickpeas (Easy and Refreshing!)
- Rosa Thai Mushroom Salad in Vegan Nam Tok Sauce
- Beet and Clementine Salad with Greek Yogurt Vinaigrette
- Chinese Smashed Cucumber Salad in 15 mins
