Bacalhau com Natas
A fuss-free Portuguese seafood built around waxy potatoes, heavy cream and grated cheese — roughly 65 minutes start to finish, and rated medium to make. Scroll down for the ingredient checklist, a serving scaler and unit converter, and the method broken into 6 steps.
You'll mainly reach for oven and frying pan / skillet. At medium difficulty across 6 steps, it's manageable with a little attention. As written, it's pescatarian — fish but no meat.
What you'll need
Shopping list (3)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
🔁 Unit converter
How to make it
- Soak the salt cod in cold water in the fridge for 24 to 36 hours, changing the water several times, then poach it briefly in fresh water, drain it, and flake it into pieces while pulling out all the skin and bones.
- Peel the potatoes and cut them into small cubes, then fry them in the olive oil until golden and just cooked through, about 8 minutes, and drain them on paper.
- Soften the sliced onions and garlic in a little oil over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes until sweet and translucent, then add the flaked cod and warm it through for a couple of minutes.
- Make a béchamel by melting the butter, whisking in the flour and cooking it for a minute, then gradually adding the milk and cream while stirring until smooth and thickened, and season it with nutmeg, salt and pepper.
- Fold half the sauce together with the cod, onions and fried potatoes, spread the mixture into a buttered baking dish, pour the rest of the sauce over the top, and scatter on the grated cheese.
- Bake at 200 C for about 25 minutes until the top is golden and bubbling, then let it rest a few minutes before serving.
You'll use: Oven · Frying pan / skillet · Large pot · Whisk · Baking dish
Ingredient substitutions
- Heavy Cream
- evaporated milk · ½ cup milk + ¼ cup melted butter · full-fat coconut milk
- Milk
- any unsweetened plant milk · ½ cup evaporated milk + ½ cup water
- Butter
- olive oil (¾ the amount) · coconut oil · margarine
What to serve with Bacalhau com Natas
Tips & common questions
How long does Bacalhau com Natas take to make?
About 65 minutes from start to finish — an estimate based on the 6 steps and 12 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of heavy cream?
Try evaporated milk. See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes — use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
How should I store leftovers?
Cool leftovers quickly, refrigerate in an airtight container, and eat within 3 days. Reheat until piping hot throughout.
Related recipes
Bacalhau com Natas is an original Portuguese recipe developed in-house by Consomee. Photo: Bacalhau com natas.jpg (CC0) via Wikimedia Commons. We add the serving scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure on top — how we source recipes.