Pataniscas de Bacalhau are traditional Portuguese cod fritters made with shredded salt cod, eggs, milk, flour, onion and fresh parsley. Pataniscas de bacalhau are simply delicious and a very popular tasca snack in Lisbon. When paired with Portuguese Tomato Rice, they make a delicious summer lunch or dinner. Keep on reading to find out how to make these addictive Portuguese cod fritters.
Authentic Portuguese Cod Fritters
There are lots of different ways of preparing pataniscas de bacalhau, from all the recipes I came across, they all had a similar base. Shredded cod coated in a batter made with flour, eggs, a liquid that can be water or milk, onions, garlic, and lots of fresh parsley. The batter should not be super liquid nor super dense, and the pataniscas should turn out slightly flat like an onion bhaji.
They are then deep fried in vegetable oil until they are crispy and golden but still moist on the inside. You can also shallow fry them if you prefer them shaped like a pancake. You can use any cut of salt cod you prefer, but some people will argue you should save the nicer cuts to recipes such as Bacalhau à Lagareiro.
Before we dive into the recipe, it’s important to keep in mind that salt cod should be soaked prior to use to remove the excessive salt used in the curing process. The soaking time varies depending on the cut and the amount of bacalhau you have. For shredded cod a couple of hours should be enough, for the cod loin you need a couple of days with regular water changes. I’ll be using a cod loin of approx. 200g that I soaked for two days, changing the water twice a day.
Pataniscas de Bacalhau Recipe
Start by poaching your codfish in boiling water for 5 minutes. Allow it to cool for a few minutes. Remove the skin and bones, then roughly shred it, set aside.
In the meantime, add the vegetable oil in a large pan that’s suitable for deep frying, then place it over low to medium heat. Allow it to heat slowly while you prepare the batter.
Finely dice the onion and mince your garlic clove. Add it to a large bowl with the flour, olive oil, egg, paprika, lemon juice and zest, salt, black pepper, fresh parsley, and the milk. Stir well to create your batter.
Add in the codfish, mix well to coat it.
Check your oil, the ideal temperature is 190 °C. If you don’t have a thermometer, you can stick a wooden spoon handle tip into the hot oil. If lots of gentle bubbles form around it, the oil is good to go.
Use a spoon to drop blobs of the batter into the hot oil, leaving some space between them. Try not to overcrowd the pan so the oil temperature remains stable.
Once they gain some colour, flip them, continue to fry until golden brown. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and drain on absorbent paper.
Repeat the process until the batter is finished. Enjoy them with a squeeze of lemon!
How to Make Portuguese Cod Fritters
Portuguese Cod Fritters – Authentic Pataniscas de Bacalhau
4
servings20
minutes15
minutes290
kcalPataniscas de Bacalhau are traditional Portuguese cod fritters made with shredded salt cod, eggs, milk, flour, onion and fresh parsley.
Ingredients
1 Salt Cod Loin (200g)
1 Small Onion (200g) finely diced
125 g All Purpose Flour
1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
100 ml Milk
1 Egg
1 Garlic Clove, Minced
1 tsp Lemon Zest
1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika
1 tbsp Lemon Juice
1/2 tsp Salt
Black Pepper
Fresh Parsley
Directions
- Poach the codfish loin in boiling water for 5 minutes. Let it cool for a few minutes. Remove the skin and bones, then roughly shred it, set aside.
- In the meantime, add the vegetable oil in a large pan that’s suitable for deep frying, then place it over low to medium heat. Allow it to heat slowly while you prepare the batter.
- In a bowl, add the diced onion, minced garlic, flour, olive oil, egg, paprika, lemon juice and zest, salt, black pepper, fresh parsley, and the milk. Stir well to create your batter.
- Add in the codfish, mix well to coat it. The batter should have a porridge like consistency, if it’s too runny, add a little more flour. If it’s too dry, add a splash of milk.
- Check your oil, the ideal temperature is 190 °C. If you don’t have a thermometer, you can stick a wooden spoon handle tip into the hot oil. If lots of gentle bubbles form around it, the oil is good to go.
- Use a spoon to drop blobs of the batter into the hot oil to create your pataniscas. Try not to overcrowd the pan so the oil temperature remains stable.
- Once they gain some colour, flip them, continue to fry until golden brown.
- Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and drain on absorbent paper.
- Repeat the process until the batter is finished. Enjoy them with a squeeze of lemon!
Notes
- You need to soak the salt cod to remove the salt used to preserve it. The process can take up to two days, so plan in advance.
Have you tried this recipe? Let me know in the comments!