A close up of an oval plate with 3 pastéis de bacalhau, or Portuguese salt cod fritters, and a lemon wedge, one is being cut into with a knife and fork.

4.94 / 49 votes

Pastéis de Bacalhau ~ Salt Cod Fritters

These Portuguese salt cod fritters, called pastéis de bacalhau, are made with salt cod, potato, onion, and parsley and are fried for a traditional Portuguese treat.

Prep Time45

Cook Time30

Total Time1 15

Course: Snacks

Cuisine: Portuguese

Servings: fritters (about)

Calories: 53

Equipment

Deep-fry or candy or instant-read thermometer

Ingredients

▢ 14 ounces russet potatoes, unpeeled
▢ 10 ounces salted cod, preferably thick pieces, soaked overnight [click for soaking directions]
▢ 3 large eggs
▢ 1 small yellow onion, very finely chopped
▢ 2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
▢ vegetable or canola oil, for frying

US - Metric

Instructions

Boil the 14 ounces russet potatoes (preferably in their skins, so the potatoes don't absorb water). Peel the potatoes and mash or sieve them. Set aside.
Meantime, simmer the previous soaked 10 ounces salted cod in enough boiling water to cover until tender, 10 to 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of your cod.
Drain the cod, discard the skin and bones, and flake the fish as much as you can with your fingers or a fork to reduce it to threads.
☞ TESTER TIP: The proper way of doing this is to place the flaked cod inside a clean cloth, fold it and squeeze and pound the contents of the cloth with your fists. In this way you will have mashed cod.
Mix the cod with the mashed potatoes and add the 3 large eggs, 1 at a time, and then the 1 small yellow onion and 2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley. Taste and, if desired, season with salt. You may not need to add any, as the cod itself retains quite a lot of saltiness, in spite of being soaked and boiled. The mixture should be quite stiff, enabling a spoon to stand up in it. If you find it excessively dry, add one or two tablespoons of milk.
☞ TESTER TIP: Allow this to cool completely before frying.
With two tablespoons, shape the mixture into quenelles—egg-shaped ovals. Don't feel like spoon shaping? You can roll the mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls.
Heat 4 or 5 inches of vegetable or canola oil in a medium saucepan to (370°F/190°C). Carefully lower each pasteis into the oil with a spoon. Turn them three or four times to get nicely browned all over.
When cooked, lift them with a slotted spoon and place them on kitchen paper to absorb excess fat. Continue molding and frying until you use up the mixture.

Nutrition