Bacalhau your way: Culto Ao Bacalhau, Porto

Culto Ao Bacalhau, Porto

We had been quite fortunate to treat ourselves to a few nice meals in Porto and Arcade. Hubby and I went to Michelin-guide restaurants to savour local specialties.

In Porto, the first place we went to was Culto Ao Bacalhau at Mercado Bolhao.

We got an early seating for dinner and were greeted warmly by the host/server. It was quite a task to choose how we wanted our bacalhau, but we decided on dishes which we both enjoyed.

Bread basket with tapinades at Culto Ao Bacalhau

We started with Bolinho de Bacalhao com Salada de Feijao Frade (salted codfish fritters with black eyed peas salad). It set us up nicely for the other bacalhau dishes to come! We were encouraged to spoon the peas onto the fritters and the result was lovely. The black eyed peas tossed in vinaigrette paired very well, giving some heartiness and acidity to the crispy fritters. 

Bacalhau fritters with black eyed peas salad at Culto ao Bacalhau

I chose the Bacalhau à Zé do Pipo, which had the cod boiled in milk then oven-baked with onions, mashed potatoes, and mayonnaise. According to AI, this dish is named after its creator, known as Zé do Pipo, who owned a restaurant in Porto in the ‘60s and won a national cooking contest with this recipe. It was presented table-side and plated beautifully. And it was delicious, warming my belly like a fancy home-cooked meal. The cod was flaky and less salty, after being boiled in milk. The baked mashed potatoes had a slight crunch on the edges and the onions and olives balanced the flavours very well. If this recipe was true to Zé do Pipo’s original recipe, then it really was a winner!

Table-side service at Culto ao Bacalhau

Bacalhau Ze do Pipo at Culto ao Bacalhau

Hubby chose Filetes de Bacalhau com Arroz de Tomate e Coentros (now that was quite a mouthful!). They also served the dish table side with the rice in a cast iron pot. Of course, I had to try hubby’s dish too! The cod fillets were nicely cooked and matched perfectly with the tomatoes and coriander rice. 

Table-side service at Culto ao Bacalhau

Bacalhau fillet with Tomato and Coriander rice at Culto ao Bacalhau

Crunchy churros with cinnamon sugar, on the house, ended our meal 

We couldn’t have chosen a better place to try these traditional bacalhau dishes. Service and presentation were great and the food was just divine.