Croquettes of salt cod, potato, egg, parsley and onion, shaped between two spoons and deep-fried, eaten as an appetiser, with a drink or with rice and salad.

Bolinhos de bacalhau, also called pastéis de bacalhau, are a traditional Portuguese fried dish made from potatoes, salt cod, eggs, parsley and onion, sometimes with a hint of nutmeg. By the 1700s salt cod had become a basic food for ordinary Portuguese, and the croquettes are eaten as an appetiser or a full meal, usually with rice, salad and olives. In Porto, Adega São Nicolau and Casa Guedes list them on their menus.

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Make it at home

Serves 1825 hrIntermediate

Ingredients

  • 300g salt cod, soaked for 24 hours with three water changes
  • 400g floury potatoes, peeled
  • 1 large onion, finely diced
  • 3 eggs, beaten
  • Handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
  • Black pepper
  • Vegetable oil for deep-frying

Method

  1. Boil salt cod 8 minutes until cooked. Drain, cool, shred into fine flakes, removing skin and bones.
  2. Boil potatoes 25 minutes until soft. Drain and mash dry, no butter or milk.
  3. Fry onion in a little olive oil over low heat for 15 minutes until soft and translucent. Cool.
  4. Combine cod, potato, onion, beaten eggs, parsley and black pepper in a bowl. Mix until just combined.
  5. Shape into rugby-ball quenelles with two soup spoons.
  6. Deep-fry in oil at 180C in batches for 3 minutes per side until golden. Drain on paper. Serve hot with a wedge of lemon.

Editor tip. The mix should be just stiff enough to shape between two spoons; too dry and the croquettes crack, too wet and they fall apart in the oil.

Common allergens: Fish, Egg, Gluten.