Bacalhau à Brás

Allergens at a glance

• UsuallyFishSalt cod (bacalhau), soaked and shredded.
• UsuallyEggsEggs are stirred through until just set, often still soft.
• SometimesGlutenBought-in straw potatoes or a shared fryer; the recipe has no flour.

Usually in the standard recipe. Often in many versions. Sometimes in some kitchens, or a cross-contact risk.

Diets

• Pescatarian; not vegetarian.
• Usually gluten-free and dairy-free as made.
• Other dishes cooked à Brás swap the cod for something else: read the first word.

Recipes change from kitchen to kitchen. If you have an allergy, confirm every ingredient with the restaurant before you order.

What is bacalhau à Brás?

Bacalhau à Brás is salt cod shredded and fried with onion and garlic, then tossed with very thin fried potato sticks and bound with eggs that are cooked only until creamy. It's finished with black olives and chopped parsley. It comes from Lisbon, where it's said to be named after a tavern keeper called Brás, and it's one of the most popular of Portugal's many salt cod dishes.

What's in it

• Bacalhau: dried salt cod, soaked for a day or more to remove the salt, then flaked.
• Onion and garlic: sliced thinly and softened in olive oil.
• Batata palha: "straw potatoes", matchstick-thin and deep-fried. Many kitchens buy them ready-made.
• Eggs: beaten and stirred in off the heat, so they set softly.
• To finish: black olives and parsley.

Allergens and diets

Assume fish and egg. Salt cod is the main ingredient, and the eggs hold the whole dish together. They're usually cooked until just set and still glossy, so if you need your eggs fully cooked, ask for it well done (bem passado).

The recipe contains no flour, milk or butter, so it's usually free of gluten and dairy as made. The gluten risk comes from the potatoes. Fresh straw potatoes fried in a shared fryer can pick up gluten from breaded food, and some packaged versions are made in factories that also handle wheat. Ask how the potatoes are made if you're coeliac (celiac).

It's pescatarian, with no meat or alcohol in the standard recipe. Olive pits can turn up in the olives, which is worth knowing if you're eating fast.

On the menu

Look for bacalhau à Brás (sometimes spelled à Braz) in the peixe (fish) section or among the pratos do dia (dishes of the day). The method gets borrowed for other bases, such as alheira (a garlicky sausage made with bread, and today often with pork) or mushrooms (cogumelos), so read the first word of the dish name. Bacalhau com natas is salt cod baked with cream, and bacalhau à Gomes de Sá is salt cod with boiled potato and egg; both are different dishes.

Last checked 1 November 2026. Spotted something wrong? Email support@inventum.com.au.