salt cod fritters aka bolinho de bacalhau, or pasties de bacalhau

I served this as appetizer for a salt cod themed dinner party we had over President’s Day weekend. We don’t fry too much at home but sometimes I like to break the rules. These cod fritters came out so good! As proof, all of them were eaten within about 10 minutes after they came out of the frying pan.

That night, we enjoyed these in the company John and Jasmine. Jasmine had just returned from her week vacation to Singapore with Prof. T (who is now somewhere in Australia for work). It was fun listening to her experiences abroad.

I made a Brazilian croquette version of this in the past which is similar. The main difference is the texture: the croquettes are slightly more dense; and the fritters, more airy and fluffy. Both are super tasty.

salt cod fritters aka bolinho de bacalhau, or pastéis de bacalhau

1 cup cooked salt cod in flakes (click here to learn how to desalt/cook salt cod)
2 cups mashed potato
4 tbsp Italian parsley, chopped fine
2 eggs
4 tbsp olive oil
½ small white onion, in small dice
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt
Black pepper
Pinch nutmeg
Canola oil for frying

Put olive oil in a saucepan, add onions and cook on low heat until soft and translucent. Add garlic then cod, salt, pepper, nutmeg, parsley and potato and stir to combine. Cook for a couple of minutes making sure all ingredients have been mixed together. Adjust flavors. Remove from heat and let cool down a bit. Add eggs one at a time. Stir to combine.

preparing cod mixture for salt cod fritters aka bolinho de bacalhau, or pasties de bacalhau

Fill a small pan with a couple inches of canola oil. Bring temperature to medium high.

Use a tablespoon to scoop out the cod mixture. Use another one to shape the mass into an elliptical cake. Repeat until no cod mix remains. Fry for approximately 4 minutes or until browned, flipping half way through. Transfer to a paper towel to drain.

Serve hot with wedges of lemon and pepper sauce.

draining browned salt cod fritters