Editor's note:The recipe below is excerpted from Tyler Florence'sEat This Book. To read more about Tyler Florence and to get his tips on throwing a Super Bowl party,click here.
Cod was once one of the most valuable commodities in the world — it wasthesustainable protein for most of Europe for about five hundred years. Before refrigeration, most of Europe survived on salted, air-dried cod fillets (salt cod) and Portugal has been one of the largest producers for hundreds of years.
When used in cooking, salt cod is first soaked to remove much of the salt. It is reconstructed in simmering milk enhanced with garlic and then used a million different ways: as a means of adding salt to food (similar to the way anchovies are used), folded into stews, or mixed with creamy, soft, cooked potatoes to formbacalao, the Portuguese national dish.
This is my take onbacalao. I've spiked the potato mix with chopped parsley and cilantro, which gives it a very fresh, clean flavor, and then quickly fried small bits into crisp, golden fritters. Squeeze fresh lemon over the top and you've got a fantastic hors d'oeuvre that's original and very easy to make.
Ingredients
Makes about 25 fritters
Step 1
Starting a day ahead, soak the dried cod in cold water for 18 to 24 hours, changing the water several times to remove the majority of the salt. Drain the cod, rinse, and put it in a large pot. Add the milk, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, and enough water to cover the cod by 1 inch; cooking the cod in milk keeps it very moist. Bring to a boil, then simmer gently over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, or until the cod is tender and pliable. Drain (discard the milk) and rinse the fish well, then flake it into a bowl, removing any little bits of skin and bone.
Step 2
While the cod is cooking, put the potatoes in a pot with water to cover, bring to a boil, then simmer over medium heat for 20 to 25 minutes, until very tender. Drain the potatoes, peel, and mash them well into a bowl with a potato masher, or pass them through a ricer or sieve.
Step 3
Add the cod to the bowl with the potatoes, along with the onion, minced garlic, parsley, cilantro, and eggs. Beat the mixture vigorously with a wooden spoon until it's really well combined and stiff; a spoon should stand up in it. (if it's too dry, add 1 or 2 tablespoons of milk.) Season with a pinch of pepper and taste for salt — you probably won't need to add any, as the cod itself is still salty in spit of having been soaked and boiled.
Step 4
With lightly moistened hands or using two tablespoons, shape the cod mixture into egg-shaped balls — you should get about 25. (The cod balls can be covered and refrigerated for up to 1 day before cooking, or frozen in a tightly covered container for several weeks.)
Step 5
Heat about 1 inch of oil in a deep, heavy skillet or pot to 370°F on a deep-fry thermometer. Add a few of the fritters to the oil and cook, turning them three or four times to get them nicely browned all over. Carefully lift them our of the pan with a slotted spoon and drain on a platter lined with paper towels. Keep going to cook all of the fritters. Taste one and, if needed, sprinkle with salt while the fritters are still hot. Serve hot or at room temperature with a pile of olives and lemon wedges.
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Reviews (7)
Back to TopMy family's recipe calls for beating the egg whites separately and folding in gently once the "pasteis" are well mixed. You can add more or less egg white to manage consistency. For some extra spice and flavor, we add "pimenta moida", which are chopped hot peppers available here in the States in jars under the Progresso label in most supermarkets.
Anonymous
5/1/2012
I wanted something a little different to do with salt cod and came upon this recipe. After reading the reviews, I decided to follow Lisete Alves' version, found here in the reviews...it was more like we do it here in Nova Scotia. So, having said that, this was delicious! I am putting it into my rotation.
stephmartin
Proud Nova Scotian
4/29/2012
不包括cilantr更新原始配方o, only chopped parsley, and also the salt cod is soaked in plain water, changing it often or, better yet, under running water (small stream, just enough to keep it moving) and cooked (boiled) along with the potatoes. Also, our recipe calls for more cod than described in the recipe, as well as more eggs. And by the way, substituting salt cod for fresh cod results in a completely diferent dish, trust me! here's one of the recipes we actually use in Portugal: 750g sal cod, thick, soaked 1,200kg potatoes 4 or 5 eggs 1 onion 1/2 cup chopped parsley ground pepper Peel the potatoes and boiled them, along with the cod, until cooked (about 20 minutes). Drain well and let cool down until you can handle it without burning yourself. Mash the potatoes very finelly. Tear apart the cooked cod (removing ALL the bones and skin) and, making it into a ball, put in the middle of a clean kitchen cloth, close it and squezze it well, to drain the rest of the water out and to shread the cod to threads. Mix the potato puree with the cod , the finelly chopped onion and the parsley and pepper to taste and mix well. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well with a wood spoon (more resistent). Shape the cakes ("bolinhos de bacalhau" means actually "little cakes of cod") with the help of 2 dessert spoons or with your hand wet in cold water (wet them often so that the batter doesn't stick to your hands). Fry the cakes in hot oil (oil or olive oil, or a mix of the 2), until golden. Perfect if served with a nice black eyed pea salad with "molho verde" (chopped onion + chooped parsley + olive oil + vinager) or portuguese tomato risotto! Hugs! And enjoy the bolinhos de bacalhau. And if you want to know more about salt cod and recipes : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacalhau
LiseteAlves
Porto, Portugal
9/8/2010
大家好!仅供参考:the name of this recipe in native Portuguese is "Pasteis de Bacalhau" or "Bolinhos de Bacalhau" (depending on the region of Portugal). The original recipe doesn't include cilantro, only chopped parsley, and also the salt cod is soaked in plain water, changing it often or, better yet, under running water (small stream, just enough to keep it moving) and cooked (boiled) along with the potatoes. Hugs! And enjoy the bolinhos de bacalhau (how we call it in Porto)! And if you want to know more about salt cod and recipes : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacalhau
LiseteAlves
Porto, Portugal
9/8/2010
The correct Portuguese name for this dish is Pasteis de Barcalao. Barcalao is the generic name or word for cod. The cod should be brought just to a simmer, when it flakes easily. Overcooking or boiling it will toughen the cod.
primrose
5/15/2009
I was really surprised by how much I liked this dish. Rather than buying dried salt cod as the recipe called for, I just bought normal frozen cod so I used 2 pds instead of just 1 pd. Otherwise, I cooked the recipe exactly as directed. It was surprisingly light considering the potatoes. I did not have a problem with the fritters falling apart. I refrigerated them for 2 hours before cooking. I served this dish with a creamy cilantro dipping sauce. It was great!
Anonymous
Bozeman, MT
4/1/2007
Liked it, didn't love it. The flavour of the cod and herbs were lost in the sheer volume of potato. And the cakes fell apart too easily - the two eggs weren't enough to bind it. If I were to make it again, I would use one less potato.
stwa
Ottawa
1/29/2007
