Pataniscas de Bacalhau Recipe: Easy to Make Portuguese Cod Fish Fritters
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Loading... - Barbara Clark
- 07 Jul 2022
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This easy authentic Portuguese pataniscas de bacalhau recipe makes for a mouthwatering starter or main dish. Light and fried to perfection, they come together by mixing codfish, eggs, flour, onion and parsley. Easy to make and full of flavor, these irresistible codfish fritters bring the tastes of Portugal to your table.
What is Pataniscas de Bacalhau?
Pataniscas de bacalhau, is one of the most famous Portuguese foods with codfish or bacalhau. They are delectable salt cod fish fritters made with shredded cod, onion, parsley, eggs and flour.
Typically deep fried, they can be eaten hot as petiscos which are the Portuguese equivalent of tapas. And, they can also be served as a main dish with a tomato rice and bean dish.
The Portuguese are obsessed with cod fish. It is said that there are more than 1,000 ways of serving it.
Cod is an important traditional food, so much so that it is known as “the faithful friend”.
A popular saying says that you could prepare a Portuguese recipe with cod every day of the year, without repeating a single recipe.
Of all the hundreds of recipes using cod, pataniscas de bacalhau is one of the most famous.
Pataniscas de Bacalhau Recipe History
Portugal is one of the world’s biggest consumers of cod. It is estimated that 20% of all cod caught in the world is eaten in the country. That’s an average of about 35 kilograms per person, per year.
The history of the pataniscas de bacalhau recipe is intricately tied to the history of cod in Portugal.
The first records of Portuguese fishing cod date back to the sixteenth century.
Though large scale consumption really took off in the 19th century since it was easy to preserve and transport into the interior of Portugal.
During the fascist regime of the “Estado Novo” or Portuguese New State from 1920, cod fish fishing reached its peak.
It was at this time during the “Cod Campaign” pushed the idea of “bringing bread from the seas to the country”.
As a result, Portugal became one of the world’s largest consumers of cod fish with hundreds of recipes invented.
Pataniscas de bacalhau Recipe – How To Make Pataniscas de Bacalhau at Home
To prepare the Pataniscas de Bacalhau you will need a few ingredients. The main ingredient is salt cod. This cod must be desalted for at least 24 to 48 hours hours before preparing the salt cod fish fritters.
Alternatively, you can also use ready to cook cod fish pieces to save time.
The Portuguese have a love affair with olive oil, and pataniscas de bacalhau are usually fried in Portuguese olive oil. However, you can also use a neutral vegetable oil.
If you want to give your cod fritters an extra touch of flavor you can add a little freshly squeezed lime juice.
· Cod – ready to cook cod pieces or salted cod
· 2 eggs
· Portuguese olive oil
· Bay leaf
· Allspice pepper
· Garlic clove
· Black Pepper
· Flour
· 2 limes
· White onion
· Parsley
· Salt
Pataniscas de Bacalhau Recipe Tips
Preparing the Cod
The most important part of this pataniscas de bacalhau recipe is to desalt the cod. For this, you must soak the cod in water for about 24 to 48 hours.
During this time period, you want to change the soaking water every six hours. Be sure to leave the cod in the fridge the entire time in a vacuum sealed container with a lid.
Alternatively, you can use ready to cook cod pieces, which are delivered frozen, and must be thawed out first before cooking.
Once the cod is ready, cook it in boiling water. After it has cooled, shred the cod into flakes. It is
essential to remove the skin and bones from the cod. The Portuguese cod fish fritters cannot contain bones or remains of cartilage.
Be sure to conserve about 1 cup of the cooking water to use for making the bacalhau mix. Read More…
