A beloved child has many names. A very popular apertiser, these cod croquettes are called pastéis in the centre and south of Portugal, and bolinhos in the North of Portugal and in Brasil. This recipe combines cod with potatoes in a way that makes them fluffy and crispy and tasty, so no wonder they are disappearing fast from the buffét. This recipe is a must for everytbody who loves fried finger food, and goes very well with beer. You could easily double or triple the recipe, because they freeze and reheat well in the oven.
Serves 4
20-40 minutos
Not too dificult
Ingredients
400 g of salted cod, shredded, Terra do Bacalhau
250 g of potatoes
4 eggs
1 dl olive oil, extra virgin
1 onion, finely cut
1 garlic clove, finely cut
Parsley, to taste
Oil, to fry
How to
- Soak the bacalhau according to instructions. To test if the fish is ready, take out a small piece and taste it. It should have an appealing saltiness when ready. If you start gasping for water, it´s not ready. If it is only slightly more salty than you like, you can use it because it will give salt to the other ingredients.
- Cut the potatoes into cubes and bring to a boil. Strain when they are done and smash them into a mash.
- Meanwhile, return to the codfish. Bring it to a brief boil, then strain. Then it is time to massage the cod so that the fibres filters in a way that will keep the croquette together during and after frying. Use a kitchen towel or something similar, ad the cod and close it with your hands. Massage or rub the parcel until the fibres loosens. Set aside.
- Braise the garlic and oinion in olive oil on medium-low heat while stirring occationally until they soften slightly.
- Mix together the potato mash, the salted cod and onion and garlic mixture until you get an even blend.
- Separate the egg yolks and the egg whites, finely chop the parsley and ad the egg yolks and the parsely to the mix. Stir.
- Beat the egg whites until they are stiff, and gently turn them into the mixture.
- In a skillet, add oil to deep fry, and turn to medium-high temperature. Test the oil temperature by placing a tiny bit of the mix in the oil. If the mix sizzles, it is ready to deep fry.
- Use two spoons to form the mix into finger sized croquettes. Be careful to not ad too many croquettes at a time, because this will lower the heat. Deep fry until they are golden, about 3 minutes each.
- Place the deep fried croquettes on kitchen paper to soak up the excess oil.
