How a fritter made me fall in love

Passport & Plate - Pasteis de Bacalhau Yum Style

Portugal | Friday, February 27, 2015 | 4 photos

Ingredients
approx 1 lb dried salt cod (you can get this at any asian, jamaican or portuguese market)
2 cups milk
1 bay leaf
2 medium potatoes
1 large sweet potato
1 sweet onion (I used a vidalia)
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 big handful cilantro, finely chopped
3 large eggs
zest of 1 lemon
1 tbls port
freshly ground black pepper
veg oil for frying

 

How to prepare this recipe
To soak the salt cod, Put them in a vessel, cover with cold water and soak from 12 to 24 hrs. , changing the water a couple of times. When you can remove a piece and press your finger into it and taste and the salt is now at a reasonable level, it is ready to use.
Drain the cod and put it in a deep pan or pot, pour in the milk and add enough water to cover by about an inch, add a bay leaf and simmer for about 20 minutes.

While the fish is cooking, steam the potatoes and sweet potatoes until soft, peel and set aside.

Drain, rinse it well and then to dry it, press the fish between some paper towel or in a clean kitchen towel. Remove the skin and bones and remove all the flesh into a big bowl. Flake it up by hand or put it in a food processor and give it a couple of pulses to grind it up well - don't puree to a paste.

Return the cod to the bowl, put the potatoes through a ricer or mash them well and add those as well. Grate the onion in there, add the minced garlic, cilantro and the lemon zest and mix well. Now, start beating the egg in, one at a time, with a wooden spoon. Add a tbls of port and a few grinds of black pepper with the final egg and give it a final good beating with your wooden spoon, taste and make sure it's well seasoned. It should be salty enough from the cod but you should check to make sure.

You can either use slightly damp hands or two spoons to shape the cod batter into quenelle shapes (like little footballs). You can cover them and refrigerate them up in a covered container to 24 hours before cooking them if you want or even freeze them and deep fry from frozen)

Heat a couple of inches of veg oil to 375F and start to fry them, a few at a time, turning a few times, until they are nicely browned. Try to keep the oil between 350 and 375F so that the cakes get nice and crispy. Remove the cooked pieces to paper towel to drain and continue until they are all cooked.
They can be served hot, room temp or reheated for ten minutes in a 375F oven.

 

The story behind this recipe
Because salt cod and I have a bit of a contentious relationship, I kind of assumed that I would have a hard time eating in Portugal because it seems to be in every dish they make. It's said that there are over 1000 traditional Portuguese bacalhau recipes and I believe that actually might be an understatement. They eat it in stews, fritters, cakes, deep fried, grilled or braised. It's almost always cooked or served with potatoes, as is everything else there to be honest, and despite my initial feelings of distaste for this noble beast , I was certainly willing to try it before announcing that I still hated it. I am nothing if not opened minded.
Bacalhau is to Portuguese cuisine what tomatoes are to Italian, despite the fact that they have to import it from Newfoundland, Norway or Iceland because cod is not native to their waters. Oddly enough, it's also the only fish that they never eat in it's fresh state. Once an inexpensive kitchen staple, cod is no longer cheap thanks to the collapse of the cod stocks due to massive over fishing and the dismantling of the Portuguese bacalhoeiro fleet.
On our first morning in Lisbon, we dropped our bags off at our apartment and were told to come back at 2pm. Exhausted but excited to be there, we stumbled off down a very steep cobble stoned street and wandered into a cafe for espresso and a nosh. The Kid immediately pointed at some little football shaped, deep fried frittery things and the man at the counter asked "pasteis de bacalhau?"
The Kid nodded yes, held up two fingers and the man slid two onto a plate for him. He took a big bite, his face lit up and he popped the rest into his mouth so I grabbed the second one while I could. Expecting to want to spit my little bite out, I was shocked to discover that it was really good. Who knew??
Unsure about whether I would find Portugal to be a poor man's Spain but keeping an open mind, that little fritter sums up how I fell in love with the country too. It was love at first bite.