Salt Cod with Cornbread and Alheira
An irresistible combination of flavors from Trás-os-Montes. Layers of alheira sausage, turnip greens, salt cod, and olive oil breadcrumbs, baked until golden and crispy.
📖 The Story
This recipe is a perfect marriage of three iconic ingredients from northern Portugal: salt cod, corn broa bread, and alheira. The alheira, a traditional sausage from Trás-os-Montes created by Sephardic Jews in the 15th century as a way to escape the Inquisition, combines here with the rustic texture of broa and the tenderness of salt cod. The result is a comforting dish that celebrates the richness of Portuguese gastronomy, uniting the sea and the mountains on one platter.
🧺 Ingredients
- 400g desalted salt cod loin
- 2 alheira sausages
- 1 small corn broa (about 300g)
- 300g turnip greens
- 4 garlic cloves
- Plenty of olive oil
- Salt to taste
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Boil the cod loin in water for about 8 minutes. Drain, remove the skin and bones, and flake into pieces.
- 2
Boil the turnip greens in salted water for 5 minutes. Drain well and cut into smaller pieces if too long.
- 3
Chop the garlic into small pieces.
- 4
Remove the casing from the alheiras and spread the filling on the bottom of a greased baking dish, forming an even layer.
- 5
Arrange a layer of turnip greens over the alheira.
- 6
Spread the flaked cod over the greens, together with the chopped garlic.
- 7
Optionally, repeat the layers of greens and cod for a more substantial dish.
- 8
Process the broa in a food processor for a few seconds until you have breadcrumbs. Mix the breadcrumbs with plenty of olive oil.
- 9
Spread the olive oil breadcrumb mixture over the top of the dish, covering the entire surface.
- 10
Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C for 20-25 minutes, until the topping is golden and crispy.
- 11
Serve hot.