Greetings from Portugal, Kingdom of Cod! I now live in Lisbon and I love the local cuisine. Even more than  sardines, cod is the most popular and most consumed fish in Portugal. Traditionally there are more than 365 different dishes, one for each day of the year, and the country has a love affair with the pungent smelling fish.

“Meia Desfeita” is a delicious one-course meal made with salted cod. Bacalhau (cod in Portuguese) is a healthy and lean fish, full of omega 3. For this recipe you can use either “Bacalhau Desfiado”, which is shredded, or in “Filetes” (fillets). Salted cod needs to be soaked in cold water for 24/48 hours. You just immerse your Bacalhau in a large bowl of clean cold water, and let it soak for a minimum of 24 hours in the fridge, changing and refreshing the water 3 or 4 times during the soaking period. Here’s a short You Tube video on how “To Soak Salt Cod”. Enjoy the “Maia Desfeita”!