This is a simple & easy way to make delicious Fofas de Bacalhau, or Portuguese fried cod cakes. As there must be over a million ways to make Bacalhau in Portuguese cuisine, this is one of the better versions in my opinion. These delicious crispy fried cakes combine well with the cod’s texture and flavor to make an excellent dish that anybody can enjoy. The recipe is pretty simple as well as the ingredients so try it out and tell us what you think.
*Makes 4-5 Servings*
Ingredients:
1 lbs. bacalhau “salted cod” (If you can’t find this locally, you can always buy some easily here on Amazon
4 egg yolks
4 tablespoons cornflour
4 egg whites
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons chopped parsley
Directions:
*Before following any Bacalhau recipe, you must first soak the bacalhau from 24 – 48 hours (depending
on the size), changing the water 3-4 times throughout this period*
1) Boil the fish for about 20 minutes, then skin, bone and de-flake it.
2) Slice the bacalhau into portions.
3) Mix the cornflour with egg yolk in a bowl.
4) Add the lemon juice to taste, chopped parsley, and the stiffly beaten egg white.
5) Dip the bacalhau into the batter and then mold into small cakes, then fry in olive oil in a saucepan on high heat until golden.
6) Serve immediately while hot.
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Love portuguese food!
My mom and grandmother from San Miguel used to make codfish cakes that looked very similar to your picture but the had potatoes that had been boiled in them. Last time I tried to make them it was a disaster. They would not hold there shape or brown at all, a very disapointing holiday treat. Don’t suppose you have a version that has potatoes.
The ones you are talking about are called pasteis de bacalhau.
Ingredients for 32 pasteis (fritters)
• 600g of presoaked dry cod fish
• 800g potatoes
• 3 large eggs
• 1 onion chopped finely
• 2 chopped cloves of garlic
• 1 dl olive oil
• some chopped parsley
• pepper to taste
• nutmeg (optional)
• rock salt to taste
– oil for frying
Directions :
1. boil potatoes in salted water (30 minutes – if you chop or slice potatoes it may take a little less time)
2. Boil the cod fish in water for about 10 minutes
Remove from water and let it cool off
Once it is cool, remove fishbones and skin and shred it
3.Place olive oil, onion and garlic in a frying pan and let it saute for a little bit so that the onion and garlic are slightly browned. Do not let it burn. Add the shredded cod and let it saute while mixing every so often to make sure the cod fish is completely shredded (finely)
Turn off stove after about 5 minutes.
4.Once the potatoes are cooked, strain and mash them. Add cod and the chopped parsley and mix.
Season with pepper, nutmeg and check the salt and mix well. Add one egg at a time and mix well. Make sure the mixture is not too soft
5. use two soup spoons to shape the pasteis.
6. fry in hot oil (not super hot but more than warm)
Make sure they are fried on both sides.
After they are fried place on a plate with absorbing paper to absorb some of the oil and they are ready to serve,
Enjoy