Portugal
Shredded salt cod baked in béchamel and cream with onion and potato — the richest and most comforting of all bacalhau preparations, closer to a gratin than a fish dish. It appears on the Sunday lunch menus of Portuguese restaurants from Braga to Faro, and its relationship to à brás and à Gomes de Sá demonstrates how far bacalhau can travel texturally through technique while remaining recognisably the same fish. Bacalhau com natas requires a thickened béchamel (bechamel densa), a good ratio of cod to potato, and confidence with cream — this is not a restrained dish. The surface must be properly gratinéed: golden brown with spots of deep colour where the cream has caramelised.
Make a thick béchamel with butter, flour, milk, and cream. Shred the bacalhau into medium pieces — not as fine as à brás, not as coarse as a flake. Fry the onion in olive oil until soft. Mix cod, onion, béchamel, and sliced fried potato. Transfer to an earthenware dish, cover with remaining béchamel. Bake at 220°C for 20-25 minutes until deeply gratinéed.
Some recipes add egg yolks to the béchamel for additional richness — this is optional but recommended. A grating of nutmeg in the béchamel is traditional. Bacalhau com natas freezes well (before the final gratin) and can be prepared a day ahead up to that stage. Pair with a full-bodied white Dão.
Too-thin béchamel — the dish will be runny. Under-gratinéeing — the top should be deeply golden. Over-salting — bacalhau carries salt even after desalting, so season the béchamel conservatively. Using floury, starchy potatoes instead of waxy varieties — the potato becomes mealy.
My Portugal by George Mendes