Pastéis de Bacalhau are traditional cod cakes made with shredded salt cod, onion, potatoes, garlic, and lots of fresh parsley! They are iconically Portuguese and are available everywhere in the country. They are the perfect snack to have with an imperial or a chilled glass of wine, and a more consensual cod dish. With this recipe you can make them at home, after all there’s nothing better than freshly fried pastéis de bacalhau!
Pastéis de Bacalhau – The Traditional Way
The traditional Pastéis de Bacalhau recipe calls for shredded salt cod, finely diced onions and garlic, combined with mashed potatoes and beaten eggs. To finish up, the dough is seasoned with plenty of finely chopped fresh parsley, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Their torpedo shape, what chefs would call a quenelle, is created using two spoons of the same size. If you are looking for a slightly less traditional version of pastéis de bacalhau, you should check my Cod Cakes Stuffed with Cheese Recipe!
What Codfish Should You Use
Portuguese cod cakes are one of the recipes invented to use leftover cod or the off-cuts of the fish. That said, you can use any cut of the fish you have at hand. In most Portuguese supermarkets you will be able to find a tray of lascas de bacalhau – smaller pieces of salt cod. They are ideal for this recipe and require less soaking time than a piece of the loin.
A Note on Soaking the Codfish
Talking about soaking your bacalhau, if you cooked with salt cod before you already know that you need to soak it before cooking. The best way to do it is to give the fish a good rinse, then put it in a container with cold water, and place it in the fridge. If you are using cod loins, make sure their skin faces up, so no salt gets trapped inside. With regular water swaps, the total soaking time for the loins can total up to 3 days. For lascas, soaking it overnight should be good enough!
Authentic Portuguese Codfish Cakes Recipe
Start by preheating the oven to 180°C.
With your codfish prepped, place it in a pan, cover with boiling water, then cook for 5 minutes. Transfer the cooked fish to a bowl, let it cool while you prepare the other ingredients.
Place the potatoes in a baking tray, cover with foil, bake in the oven for approx. 30 minutes or until they are cooked through. Let it cool for a couple of minutes, remove the skin, mash them. Transfer to a big bowl.
To shred the fish, add it to two layers of clean pieces of cloth, wrap it to a bundle. Start applying pressure and pounding it until finely shredded. Remove any skin or bones you may find. Combine your shredded fish with the mashed potatoes.
Finely chop the onion, garlic, and parsley, add it to the dough base. Add in your egg yolk too, season with the salt, black pepper and nutmeg. Mix well until everything is combined. If the mixture feels too wet, you can add a tablespoon or two of corn starch.
Place a pan suitable for deep frying over low to medium heat, then fill it with your vegetable oil. Let it heat up slowly while you shape the cakes.
Use 2 spoons of the same size to mould your pastéis into a torpedo shape. Repeat the process until you run out of dough.
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.
Carefully fry your cakes in the hot oil until golden brown. Use a slotted spoon to transfer them to a plate with absorbent paper. Don’t fry too many cakes at the same time as that can lower the oil temperature.
Serve with a squeeze of lemon!
How to Make Portuguese Codfish Cakes
Pastéis de Bacalhau – Authentic Portuguese Codfish Cakes
6
servings1
hour20
minutes220
kcalPastéis de Bacalhau are traditional cod cakes made with shredded salt cod, onion, potatoes, garlic, and lots of fresh parsley!
Ingredients
1 l vegetable oil – for frying
400 g salt cod – soaked prior to use
600 g baby potatoes
1 small onion – finely diced
3 minced garlic cloves
1 egg yolk
3 tbsp flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1 pinch nutmeg
2 tbsp corn starch
black pepper
Directions
- Pre heat the oven to 180°C.
- With the codfish prepped, place it in a pan, cover with boiling water, then cook for 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, let it cool while you prepare the other ingredients.
- Place the potatoes in a baking tray, cover with foil, bake in the oven for approx. 30 minutes or until they are cooked through. Let it cool for a couple of minutes, remove the skin, mash them. Transfer to a big bowl.
- To shred the fish, add it to two layers of clean pieces of cloth, wrap it to a bundle. Start applying pressure and pounding it until finely shredded. Remove any skin or bones you may find. Combine your shredded fish with the mashed potatoes.
- Finely chop the onion, garlic, and parsley, add it to the dough base. Add in your egg yolk too, season with the salt, black pepper and nutmeg. Mix well until everything is combined. If the mixture feels too wet, you can add a tablespoon or two of corn starch.
- Place a pan suitable for deep frying over low to medium heat, then fill it with your vegetable oil. Let it heat up slowly while you shape the cakes.
- Use 2 spoons of the same size to mold your cakes into a torpedo shape. Repeat the process until the dough is finished.
- 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.
- Carefully fry your cakes in the hot oil until golden brown. Use a slotted spoon to transfer them to a plate with absorbent paper. Don’t fry too many cakes at the same time as that can lower the oil temperature. Serve with a squeeze of lemon!
Notes
- Baking the potatoes instead of boiling them guarantees a dryer and more structured dough.
- Using the cloth method to shred the codfish it’s not only great to remove any excessive water from the fish, but also a great way to reveal any leftover bones.
- If the dough is too wet the cakes might fall apart while frying. Feel the dough, if it’s too wet, add a tablespoon or two of corn starch.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan too much while frying, you don’t want to reduce the temperature of the oil.
Have you tried this recipe? Let me know in the comments!