Arroz de Bacalhau is a delicious creamy rice with pieces of salt cod, juicy tomatoes, plenty of olive oil, and fresh herbs. Rice might not be the first thing that comes to mind when we think of Portuguese cuisine. Perhaps you imagined a plate of Grilled Sardines, or the classic Chicken Piri-Piri. What many don’t know is that for almost every classic Portuguese dish, there is a rice version of sorts. It’s true the Portuguese have a very traditional approach to food, but they also love to come up with different ways to use the ingredients they love.

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The Origins of the Dish of Arroz de Bacalhau

While the specific place of creation of this dish is uncertain, many believe it started as a way to utilize less noble parts of the cod, and its leftovers. And there’s no better way to repurpose leftovers than to turn them into a delicious rice, right? Typically, it comprises salt cod, short grain rice, tomatoes, onions, and peppers. But in some parts of the country other vegetables such as peas, cauliflower, and peppers are added too. For an economical and nourishing meal, that’s packed with flavour!

What is Salt Cod

For those not familiar with bacalhau, it is a huge part of the Portuguese Gastronomy. We covered a few Salt Cod Recipes before, but there’s a rumour that there are at least 1000 of recipes across the whole of Portugal. It’s simply cod that’s been dried and salted, but with a quite different flavour profile. It has a stronger umami flavour, and a certain sweetness to it. The texture is also different, being less delicate than fresh cod and also meatier. Its intense flavour makes it perfect for stews, casseroles, and cream base dishes. In Portugal it’s usually paired with potatoes and plenty of olive oil!

About Our Arroz de Bacalhau Recipe

Since the concept of this dish is to reuse off cuts of bacalhau, we will be using bacalhau desfiado or shredded cod that you can purchase in most supermarkets and grocery stores in Portugal. You can of course use the loin, but a Portuguese person would argue that will be better used in a Bacalhau à Lagareiro.

If this is your first time working with cod, keep in mind that you will need to soak it in advance. For how long you will need to soak the fish will depend on the thickness of the cuts you use. If you buy shredded cod, 6 hours should be enough, and you only need to change the water once, halfway through the time.

Portuguese Carolino Rice

Now for the second most important ingredient, the rice, we will be using the Carolino variety, a short grain rice that’s very popular in Portugal. In fact, almost all Rice Recipes you will find in this website call for Carolino rice. If you can’t find this variety, any short grain rice will do!

For the remaining ingredients, we will be using very ripe plum tomatoes, onions, garlic, a good olive oil, a white wine of good quality, and some fresh parsley. You can also add peppers and olives if you’d like. This recipe is super simple to prepare, and absolutely delicious! It’s great for a light summer meal, and for those who are knew to cooking with salt cod. You can have it as a main dish, or alongside some Salt Cod Cakes or Shrimp Rissoles. We hope you enjoy this recipe!

How to Make Arroz de Bacalhau – Portuguese Salt Cod Rice

Arroz de Bacalhau – Portuguese Salt Cod Rice

Recipe by Ana Veiga

4.8 from 4 votes

Course: MainCuisine: Mediterranean, PortugueseDifficulty: Easy

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Calories

407

kcal

Arroz de Bacalhau is a delicious creamy rice with pieces of salt cod, juicy tomatoes, plenty of olive oil, and fresh herbs.

Ingredients

400 g Salt Cod
300 g Carolino Rice
3 Medium Tomatoes
3 tbsp Olive Oil
1 Large Onion — sliced thinly
70 ml White Wine
3 Garlic Cloves
2 Bay Leaves
20 g Cold Butter
Salt
Black Pepper
Fresh Parsley

Directions

Place your cod on a small pan, cover it with boiling water. Bring it to a boil over high heat. Cook for 5 minutes. Drain the fish, reserve the water as it will be used to cook the rice later. Remove any bones and excess skin from the fish, tearing it into smaller pieces.
Place a large casserole over medium heat. Allow it to heat up before you add the olive oil and the onions. Cook for about 5 minutes until they start to soften and gain some colour. Push the onions to one side of the pan, add another drizzle of olive oil. Add the garlic, frying it for another minute or two.
Peel your tomatoes, remove the seeds and cut into cubes. Then add them into the pan and cook for another 5 minutes until they start to soften and release some juice. Add your codfish, stir well, allow everything to cook for another 2 minutes. In the meantime, add to a sauce pan, the water you used to cook the cod, bring it to a boil.
Add the rice to the codfish and tomato mixture, fry for another 2 minutes before pouring in the white wine to deglaze the pan.
Once the wine evaporates, start to add the water you used to cook the fish, cup by cup. Stirring well in between additions and making sure the liquid is fully absorbed before you add more liquid.
Try some of the rice, it should be ready when the grain is cooked but it still offers a little resistance when you bite. Turn off the heat, add a little bit more of the fish broth, and the butter. Stir well to incorporate the butter. Check the salt, add more salt and pepper if necessary. Serve with fresh parsley on top and a drizzle of olive oil!

Notes

You’ll need to soak your code before cooking. Depending on the size and type of your bacalhau this can be for up to 12 hours!

Arroz de Bacalhau – Authentic Portuguese Salt Cod Rice