Bacalhau da Consoada – Portuguese Christmas Eve Cod

Directions

• Place the whole baby potatoes in a large pot. Cover with water, add a pinch of salt, then bring it to a boil over high heat. Lower to medium heat, cook for another 10 to 15 minutes or until fork-tender. Drain the potatoes, set aside.
• In the meantime, place the cod loins in a different pot, cover with boiling water, and place it over medium heat. Add in one garlic clove, the bay leaves, a couple of sprigs of fresh thyme, and a scrunch of black pepper. Allow it to simmer for 15 minutes with the lid on. Transfer the cod to a plate, set aside.
• Use the cod water to blanch the whole Portuguese kale leaves, of which you removed the stalk, for about 3 minutes. Transfer them to an ice bath. Drain and pat dry with kitchen paper. Repeat the process until you run out of kale.
• Once you are done with the kale, it’s time to tackle the eggs. My preferred method to cook hard boiled eggs is to cover them with cold water, then bring to a boil over high heat. We then turn off the heat, cover with the lid, and set a timer for 11 minutes. After that, we transfer them immediately to an ice bath before peeling and slicing them. This way they will be hard but still with a vibrant yellow colour.
• To make the sauce, place a small saucepan over low heat, then add the olive oil and the remaining garlic cloves. Cook it for about 5 minutes until the garlic begins to gain some colour. Remove the garlic, then add the white wine vinegar, whisk to combine and slightly emulsify the sauce. Season with some salt and black pepper to taste.
• Before serving, remove the skin and any visible bones of the cod loins. I prefer leaving some of the bones to preserve the shape of the fish.
• Serve the fish with the boiled potatoes, eggs, and kale, and a drizzle of the olive oil dressing. You can also garnish with some olives. Enjoy!