Codfish with Serra cheese recipe from the Bem Haja restaurant

Cod with Serra cheese, as it is made in the Bem Haja restaurant in Nelas, is easy to make and extremely tasty. The secret is – as almost always – in the quality of the products.   Ingredients

1 large piece of codfish

3 slices of “Serra” cheese 1 onion 2 cloves of garlic 3 potatoes Cornbread crumbs to taste Coriander to taste 1 pinch of white pepper Plenty of olive oil.

Preparation

The codfish must not be soaked excessively in order to maintain its salty taste. After soaking, the cut should be wrapped in paper to remove the excess water. Cut the potatoes into thick slices and fry.

Chop the corn bread and the coriander, mix them together and set aside.

Slice the onions and garlic cloves and sauté in olive oil, adding a pinch of white pepper, just to taste. Turn off the heat when the onion is translucent.

Fry the cod in hot olive oil (we must be generous), starting by placing the part with the skin in the frying pan.

On a high platter, make a bed with the onion mixture and place the fried cod on it. The fillet is covered with the chopped breadcrumbs and coriander and topped with cheese slices. The fried potatoes are placed on the wall of the dish. Bake in the oven at 200 degrees Celsius for 2 to 5 minutes, the time needed for the cheese to brown without burning.

The codfish with Serra cheese is ready to be served.

When the codfish arrives at the table it is a feast, but the eyes have already rejoiced before. The Bem Haja restaurant, in Nelas, is a welcoming and very well decorated space that takes advantage of an old lagar (olive press). On the walls, the bordeaux and the stones of the original walls combine for a perfect atmosphere.

At the entrance, the diner is faced with a long table where the promises for a delicious end of the meal are exposed; the desserts welcome us but do not hurry us, as this is a space to be savoured entirely.

Cod with Serra cheese is the speciality of this restaurant run by a friendly couple and with impeccable service. It should be accompanied by a full-bodied and intensely flavoured white wine from the Dão region, to accompany a dish of accentuated flavours.