Fish Pie (Bacalhau a Zé do Pipo)

This fish pie is a baked Portuguese casserole made from well-seasoned cod and onions, topped with mayonnaise and mashed potatoes. One of the best comforting dinners ever!

Traditional codfish dishes such as Bacalhau a Zé do Pipo or Fish Pie, as well as chocolate desserts, are must-haves at any Brazilian table on Easter…

Why is that?

What’s Fish Pie or Fisherman’s Pie?

It is a European fish dish topped with mashed potatoes that resemble shepherd’s pie. It is more like a Codfish Shepherd's Pie! 

The traditional British version consists of poached fish (e.g. cod, haddock, salmon, or halibut) in bechamel or cheddar cheese sauce (similar to Mornay sauce) baked in the oven in a  deep dish.

Boiled eggs, as well as parsley or chives, are commonly added to the dish, likely created for Lent!

Unlikely most pies, it doesn’t use shortcrust or puffy pastry such as the Cornish stargazy pie and the Russian fish pie.

There is a Portuguese version called Bacalhau a Zé do Pipo made with salted, dry codfish boiled in milk and topped with onions, mayonnaise, and mashed potatoes also baked in the oven in a deep dish.

Before serving, the top is usually garnished with black olives and sometimes thin strips of red bell pepper. The dish is also served during Lent as well as Easter and Christmas.

Portuguese Fish Pie (Bacalhau a Zé do Pipo)

Well, Bacalhau a Zé do Pipo (pronounced roughly ' bahk-all-YAW ah Zeh doo PEEP-oo') is a baked casserole made from well-seasoned cod and onions, topped with mayonnaise and mashed potatoes. Yum!!!

This dish is named after its creator, Zé do Pipo, who owned a famous eatery in Porto, Portugal during the 1960s. 

Bacalhau a Zé do Pipo became famous throughout Portugal after he won a national cooking contest with this fish pie recipe.

Subsequently, many restaurants placed it on their menus. It has enjoyed enduring popularity to this day, including in Brazil, which absorbed many different Portuguese dishes and traditions.

Lent and Easter

Brazil has the largest Catholic population in the world, which observes Lent for about 6 weeks from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday.

One abstains from eating meat as a form of penance in honor of the death of Christ on the cross.

Even those from other religions, observing old traditions, usually enjoy fish dishes such as this fish pie on Easter — especially cod (bacalhau). With a range of dishes to choose from, each enriched with the comforting flavor of divine pardon,  who wouldn’t? 🙂

Some of these traditions include the Procissão do Fogaréu in Goiás Velho, Goiás State, and the Passion Play in Nova Jerusalém and Recife, both in my home state of Pernambuco.

But perhaps one of the most unique traditions of Holy Week is the decoration of streets for the Sunday procession.

For example, in Ouro Preto, a historic town in Minas Gerais State, people create colorful carpets with wood shavings, flour, coffee, flowers, and other decorative elements on the eve before Sunday in order for the people in the procession to walk upon.

However, not all Brazilian Easter traditions are religious.

A very popular secular tradition is to present family and friends with Easter eggs made of chocolate.

Supermarkets often decorate a special aisle with a tunnel made of brightly wrapped Easter eggs produced by various brands such as Laka, Garoto, and Nestlé.

Some of the most well-known franchises selling fine Easter eggs in Brazil are Kopenhagen and Cacau Show.

In contrast to the United States, Brazil does not have a tradition of holding Easter egg hunts.

Parents, however, try to educate the kids and let them know that the day is not only about the Easter Bunny, but about Christ and the resurrection and the teachings of God…

How to Make Fish Pie

Follow the easy steps below to make this gluten-free fish:

1. Preparing the codfish: First, de-salt the cod by soaking in plain water (enough to cover) for at least 24 hours in the fridge. Change the water 4 or more times.
2. If using salted, dry-weight codfish, bring it to a quick boil in milk (enough to cover the fish). SEE PIC. 1 Drain well and pat dry the codfish just before you are about to sauté it in the skillet. Using 2 forks, flake or shred the fish.
3. Codfish preserved in salt tastes much better than fresh cod, which is rather bland.
4. Cook the onion: In a large, non-stick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat, then add the onion. Cook onion until translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes (the goal here is to cook the onions without browning). Add the garlic and let cook for about 1 minute, stirring often. Transfer cooked onion and garlic to a small bowl, and reserve.
5. Using the same skillet where the onions and garlic were cooked, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil and sauté the cod pieces over medium heat until soft, about 2-3 minutes (if using dry-weight cod) or cook fresh cod for 7 to 8 minutes, turning the fillets at least once. SEE PIC. 2 Remove from heat and flake the fillets with tongs or 2 forks while they are still hot. Season with salt, pepper, and the bouillon; stir. Add the lime juice and the chopped chives, and stir again. Reserve.
6. At this point, you can either combine the cooked flaked cod with the cooked onion-garlic mixture or reserve each separately for assembling the fish pie according to the instructions below. Since this recipe does not call for sliced onions, when I prepare the dish I prefer to combine the cod and the onion-garlic mixture right away.
7. Making the mashed potatoes: In a large pot, cover potatoes with salted cold water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat; then, reduce heat to medium and let simmer until fork tender (about 15 minutes). SEE PIC. 3
8. Drain the cooked potatoes and mash them well. Heat the heavy cream and milk together over medium heat until simmering. Add to the mashed potatoes and stir until combined. Stir in the salt, pepper, nutmeg, and melted butter. Let mixture cool and mix in the yolk. Reserve. SEE PIC. 4
9. Assembling the fish pie: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
10. In a medium rectangular glass baking dish or oven-resistant ceramic baking pan, pile prepared flaked codfish in the center and fill the edges around the codfish with mashed potatoes, reserving about ⅓ of the mashed potatoes to pipe with.
11. Make sure the mashed potatoes should be slightly higher than the codfish pile.
12. Distribute the reserved cooked onions on top of the codfish pile (if not already mixed with the flaked cod), and then spread mayonnaise over the onions or flaked cod-onion mixture.
13. Pipe the remaining ⅓ of the mashed potatoes over the leveled mashed potatoes and around the edges of the baking dish using a medium star tip (you can make whatever design that you wish. I like to pipe waves all around my dish).
14. Bake fish pie uncovered for about 20 to 30 minutes or until mashed potatoes and mayonnaise are lightly browned.
15. Garnish the top with the olives and serve. Bacalhau a Zé do Pipo is best accompanied by Portuguese full-bodied white wines, or light-to-medium, not too fruity, reds.

How to store

Store cold leftovers of the fish pie in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Reheat the individual portion, covered, in the microwave for less than 2 minutes or until hot.

Other codfish recipes

• Quick Baked Cod in Cheese Sauce
• Fresh Cod with Onions, Garlic, Potatoes, and Broccolini (Bacalhau à Lagareira)
• Cod Cakes (Bolinho de Bacalhau)

Other fish recipes

• Norwegian Fish Soup Recipe
• Baked Blackened Salmon
• Air Fryer Salmon
• Air Fryer Tilapia

PIN & ENJOY!

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5 from 11 votes

Fish Pie (Bacalhau a Zé do Pipo)

This fish pie is a baked Portuguese casserole recipe made from well-seasoned cod and onions, topped with mayonnaise and mashed potatoes. One of the best comforting dinners ever!

Course:Main Course

Cuisine:Portuguese

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Servings 4 people

Calories1024 kcal

Author Denise Browning

Cost $ 4.00 per person

Equipment

• 1 bowl
• 1 skillet
• 1 pot
• 1 potato masher
• 2 forks
• 1 Baking dish

Ingredients

For the Codfish:

• 2 ½ pounds fresh codfish (not dry-weight codfish) or 1.8 pounds salted, dry-weight codfish, skinned
• 5 tablespoons olive oil divided
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons Knorr chicken bouillon powder
• ½ lime
• 2 tablespoons fresh chives chopped
• 1 large white onion small diced
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• ½ cup mayonnaise homemade or store-bought
• 6 pitted black olives to decorate dish

For the Mashed Potatoes:

• 3 pounds russet potatoes peeled and cut into chunks
• ⅓ cup heavy cream
• ⅓ cup whole milk
• 1 ¼ teaspoons salt
• ⅛ teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 pinch freshly ground nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
• 1 large egg yolk at room temperature

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Preparing the codfish: First, de-salt the cod by soaking in plain water (enough to cover) for at least 24 hours in the fridge. Change the water 4 or more times.
• If using salted, dry-weight codfish, bring it to a quick boil in milk (enough to cover the fish). Drain well and pat dry the codfish just before you are about to sauté it in the skillet. Using 2 forks, flake or shred the fish.
• Codfish preserved in salt tastes much better than fresh cod, which is rather bland.
• Cook the onion: In a large, non-stick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat, then add the onion. Cook onion until translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes (the goal here is to cook the onions without browning). Add the garlic and let cook for about 1 minute, stirring often. Transfer cooked onion and garlic to a small bowl, and reserve.
• Using the same skillet where the onions and garlic were cooked, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil and sauté the cod pieces over medium heat until soft, about 2-3 minutes (if using dry-weight cod) or cook fresh cod for 7 to 8 minutes, turning the fillets at least once. Remove from heat and flake the fillets with tongs or 2 forks while they are still hot. Season with salt, pepper, and the bouillon; stir. Add the lime juice and the chopped chives, and stir again. Reserve.
• At this point, you can either combine the cooked flaked cod with the cooked onion-garlic mixture or reserve each separately for assembly according to the instructions below. Since this recipe does not call for sliced onions, when I prepare the dish I prefer to combine the cod and the onion-garlic mixture right away.
• Making the mashed potatoes: In a large pot, cover potatoes with salted cold water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat; then, reduce heat to medium and let simmer until fork tender (about 15 minutes).
• Drain the cooked potatoes and mash them well. Heat the heavy cream and milk together over medium heat until simmering. Add to the mashed potatoes and stir until combined. Stir in the salt, pepper, nutmeg, and melted butter. Let mixture cool and mix in the yolk. Reserve.
• Assembling the fish pie: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• In a medium rectangular glass baking dish or oven-resistant ceramic baking pan, pile prepared flaked codfish in the center and fill the edges around the codfish with mashed potatoes, reserving about ⅓ of the mashed potatoes to pipe with.
• Make sure the mashed potatoes should be slightly higher than the codfish pile.
• Distribute the reserved cooked onions on top of the codfish pile (if not already mixed with the flaked cod), and then spread mayonnaise over the onions or flaked cod-onion mixture.
• Pipe the remaining ⅓ of the mashed potatoes over the leveled mashed potatoes and around the edges of the baking dish using a medium star tip (you can make whatever design that you wish. I like to pipe waves all around my dish).
• Bake uncovered for about 20 to 30 minutes or until mashed potatoes and mayonnaise are lightly browned.
• Garnish the top with the olives and serve. Bacalhau a Zé do Pipo is best served with Portuguese full-bodied white wines, or light-to-medium, not too fruity, reds.

Recipe Notes

INACTIVE TIME( Soaking): 1 day

How to store

Store cold leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Reheat the individual portion, covered, in the microwave for less than 2 minutes or until hot.

ABOUT

1. The traditional Bacalhau a Zé do Pipo recipe calls for salted, dry-weight codfish. Use it preferably in this recipe if it is available at supermarkets in your area.
2. There is more than one way to make Bacalhau a Zé do Pipo. For visual/presentation purposes, I do prefer to use flaked cod and diced onions instead of cod fillets and sliced onions. I have added a few seasonings to the traditional recipe, in order to make the dish tastier.

Nutrition

Calories: 1024kcal | Carbohydrates: 69g | Protein: 61g | Fat: 57g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 16g | Monounsaturated Fat: 22g | Cholesterol: 222mg | Sodium: 2007mg | Potassium: 2731mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 795IU | Vitamin C: 29mg | Calcium: 163mg | Iron: 5mg

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Image Credits:

1. Streets decorated in Ouro Preto, Brazil, from Priscila RP;  2. Easter Chocolate Eggs at Lojas Americanas, Brazil, by Heloisa Fávaro/G1 from Cabestro blog.