Bacalhau à Zé do Pipo is from the Porto region of Portugal. It was invented in the 1960’s, and is similar to the American dish Shepard’s Pie. This dish is great for a Sunday night dinner with family, because who doesn’t love mashed potatoes?
Bacalhau à Zé do Pipo | Portuguese Salted Cod Shepard's Pie
Serves 8
Bacalhau à Zé do Pipo is from the Porto region of Portugal. It was invented in the 1960's, and is similar to the American dish Shepard's Pie. This dish is great for a Sunday night dinner with family, because who doesn't love mashed potatoes?
Ingredients
- 2 cups milk
- 5 garlic cloves minced
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 lbs salt cod soaked for 24-48 hours
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 yellow onions cut into rounds
- 2 lbs russet potatoes peeled, cut into 1-1½" cubes, 3-4 medium sized potatoes
- 3 tbsp butter
- 2 egg yolks
- ¼ cup parsley chopped
- 1 can black olives whole, pitted
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 1 roasted red bell pepper for garnish
Instructions
- To a large pan, bring the milk to a simmer. To the milk add the garlic and bay leaves. Poach the bacalhau for 7 minutes on each side, or until it is tender enough to flake apart. Remove the bacalhau and set aside.
- In a separate large saute pan, sweat the onions over medium-low heat in olive oil until they are translucent but haven't taken on any color.
- In the same milk used to poach the bacalhau, you will cook the potatoes. Cook the potatoes for 10-15 minutes or until fork tender. Remove the potatoes from the milk and place in large bowl for mashing. At this time, discard the bay leaves. Mash the potatoes into a smooth consistency while they are still hot. Add the butter. Once the potatoes have cooled to 140°F or cooler, mix in the egg yolks.
- Flake the bacalhau into pieces using your hands, or two forks. During this process discard any bones.
- Mix together the mashed potatoes, flaked bacalhau, chopped parsley, half of the can of black olives and mayonnaise. Taste for seasoning, adjusting salt and pepper as desired.
- In a casserole dish, first layer in the cooked onions. Top the onions with the potato and bacalhau mixture.
- Cook in a 350°F oven for about 30 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 160°F. Garnish with the remaining black olives and slices of roasted red bell pepper.
