Chickpea Cod Salad

Recipe

By Helena Updated on May 16, 2026.

Chickpea Cod Salad is a delicious and easy high-protein salad recipe. A handful of ingredients will beat your hunger in 20 minutes!

Quick Info:

Prep Time 10 min

Cook Time 20 min

Total Time 30 min

Servings 3

Serving Size 1 handful

Calories 607

Step-by-Step Video:

Ingredients

10 ounces cod
250 grams
1 cup chickpea
250 grams
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
2 eggs
hard boiled
5 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 spring onion
to taste fresh cracked pepper
to taste salt
3 eggs
for poaching (optional)

Chickpea Cod Salad is a delicious and easy high-protein salad recipe. A handful of ingredients will beat your hunger in 30 minutes!

Chickpea Cod Salad with two crackers and one egg

This Chickpea Cod salad has another name which is Meia Desfeita. This dish is typically served in Lisbon restaurants in Portugal. But, you can also make this simple and satisfying dish at home.

You can transform this Chickpea Cod Salad into a number of different meals. For example, if you use only cod which is bacalhau in Portuguese, you can call it Meia Desfeita de Bacalhau, but if you add chickpeas, you will get Meia Desfeita de Bacalhau com Grão. 🙂

Cod has a very nice and unique texture, you can buy it fresh, salty, frozen – any type.

This fish is simply perfect for creating various dishes. Baked, fried, roasted, grilled, boiled, sous vide cod… it is mouthwatering!

For this recipe, I will use two pieces of cod around 10 ounces in total (250 grams). This dish is very economical because you don’t need to choose the best – grab any and get cooking!

What kind of dressing do I need?

You don’t need any specific spices or dressing. White wine, red wine vinegar and high quality olive oil are all you need to perfectly season the salad.

How many servings are in this chickpea cod salad?

You can serve this salad to up to 3 people. You will only need to add an extra egg.

Can I substitute any of the recipe ingredients?

Yes. You can substitute the olive oil with avocado oil or sunflower oil, but be prepared for the flavor change.

In case you don’t have any vinegar at home, you can substitute it with lemon juice.

Also, for this particular chickpea cod salad, red wine vinegar can be substituted with white wine vinegar.

Can I make Chickpea Cod Salad part of a menu?

Traditionally, this salad is served with sliced hard-boiled eggs, but I really enjoy serving it with a poached egg and sliced green onion.

This step is optional and if you want to try it, you need to make poached eggs separately.

Or, you can read more about poaching eggs here.

Recipe tips & tricks

This Portuguese Chickpea Cod salad is the perfect lunch recipe – flavorful and easy to make!

Wine pairings and non-alcoholic options

Curated by sommeLeo.

This salad pairs well with Sauvignon Blanc and Rosé. If you want to try some Portuguese gems, you can pair this salad with Vinho Verde, Alvarinho, Douro White or Encruzado wine.

How long can I store the leftovers?

Usually, you can safely store leftovers in an airtight container up to 2 days.

Ingredients

Need to adjust?

Servings:

10 ounces cod 250 grams

1 cup chickpea 250 grams

1 onion

3 cloves garlic

2 eggs hard boiled

5 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 spring onion

to taste fresh cracked pepper

to taste salt

3 eggs for poaching (optional)

Nutrition per 1 serving

Serving Size

1 handful

Calories

607

Protein

38.8 g

Fat

31.2 g

Carbohydrates

45.5 g

Saturated Fat

4.8 g

Cholesterol

161 mg

Fiber

12.6 g

Sodium

134 mg

Sugar

9.1 g

Please note that I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information is provided for reference only.

How to make Chickpea Cod Salad

Step 1. Prepare ingredients 10 min

Prepare cod fish, two eggs, onion and garlic. Boil two eggs.

Step 2. Cook codfish 13 min

Place the cod in a saucepan, cover with water, heat and leave to blanch. Drain and remove the skin and bones.

Step 3. Prepare sauce 3 min

Peel and chop the onion and garlic. Chop two hard-boiled eggs. Mix together in a bowl the onion, garlic, green onion, 3 tablespoons of olive oil, 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar, salt and pepper. Stir to make a sauce consistency.

Step 4. Fry chickpea 2 min

Fry chickpea in a pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

Step 5. Gather salad 2 min

Place the cod into a salad bowl, add chickpea, and pour over the freshly made sauce. Mix well, garnish with toasts, one poached egg and sliced spring onion.