Teixeira Portugal Restaurant

There’s good reason why the humble codfish is so prevalent at Teixeira Portugal: The history of Portuguese cuisine, which is represented in Miami in only a handful of restaurants, is filled with off-white fillets of the ubiquitous catch. The heartiness and seemingly endless shelf life of the salted, preserved fish that became the fuel for Europe's exploration and exploitation of the world is served almost a dozen ways at Teixeira. Order it "a nortenha," and a fat, pearly lobe of the fish is deep-fried, lathered in a creamy pumpkin-hued garlic sauce, and sandwiched between two heaps of mashed potatoes. Or opt for it grilled so the skin takes on a smoky char before it's set atop a mound of steamed potatoes twisted up with red peppers, garlic, and caramelized onions. In a pair of stews, the cod is front and center, presented whole. In the caldeirada de bacalhau, sizable hunks of the flaky, firm flesh sit alongside steamed yellow potatoes, all draped in a thin tomato sauce fortified with garlic, olive oil, and just a hint of vinegar. So go ahead, get the stew, the fried cod, the grilled one, and, while you're at it, the cheesy, garlicky concoction called bacalhau com natas just for good measure.