A generous Portuguese gratin of desalted salt cod, melting potatoes, sweet onions, and baked cream. The top gets golden and crispy while the inside stays tender, briny, and very comforting.
Ingredients
- 600 g ready-to-cook desalted salt cod
- 800 g waxy potatoes
- 2 pieces yellow onions
- 2 cloves garlic
- 500 ml whole milk
- 250 ml heavy cream
- 40 g unsalted butter
- 35 g Type 45 or 55 all-purpose flour
- 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 500 ml sunflower oil for cooking
- 1 leaf bay leaf
- 1 pinch ground nutmeg
- to taste ground black pepper
- to taste fine salt
- 30 g fine breadcrumbs
- 50 g grated cheese such as Emmental or Gruyère
- 0.25 bunches fresh flat-leaf parsley
Method
- Rinse the desalted salt cod, place it in a saucepan with the milk and bay leaf, and heat gently until the flesh easily flakes into petals, without letting it come to a hard boil.
- Drain the cod, reserving the cooking milk. Remove the skin and bones if necessary, then flake the flesh by hand into large, tender chunks.
- Peel the potatoes, cut them into even small dice, and cook them in hot oil until pale golden and almost tender; drain on paper towels.
- Slice the onions and mince the garlic, then sweat them in olive oil in a large skillet until they become very soft, translucent, and slightly sweet in aroma.
- Add the flaked cod to the onions, mix gently, and cook until the mixture is hot, fragrant, and any excess moisture has evaporated.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the flour, and stir until you have a pale roux, then gradually pour in the reserved milk while whisking until the sauce is smooth and coats the back of a spoon.
- Stir the heavy cream into the sauce, season with nutmeg, pepper, and just a little salt if needed, then taste to maintain the balance between the milky sweetness and the saltiness of the cod.
- Mix the potatoes, the cod with onions, and the sauce in an oiled gratin dish, keeping a generous rather than compact texture.
- Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and grated cheese, then bake until the gratin is bubbling around the edges and the top is deep golden brown.
- Let rest briefly out of the oven so the sauce can set, then serve hot with finely chopped flat-leaf parsley added at the last minute.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 1057 kcal
- Protein
- 51.03 g
- Carbohydrate
- 52.95 g
- Fat
- 72.08 g
- Fibre
- 5.88 g
- Calcium
- 514.4 mg
- Iron
- 4.86 mg
- Magnesium
- 152.34 mg
