How to Cook Bolinhos de Bacalhau/Cod Fish Balls

‘Bolinhos de Bacalhau’ are cod balls and despite the ingredient being dried salted cod, which itself may not be that inspiring, they are delicious.

 

Makes 20 medium sized bolinhos

Ingredients:

250g of bacalhau (salted cod)

250g of white potatoes diced

2 tablespoons of coriander

3 spring onions

1 egg yolk

1 tablespoon of plain flour

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 onion finely chopped

1 clove of garlic crushed

Salt and pepper to taste

Limes/lemons

Cooking oil for deep frying

De-salting the dried cod: Rinse the salt out from the cod by running it under water for a few minutes. Leave the cod in cold water overnight (preferably for 12 hours) – with some ice and the juice of half a lime (the lime adds flavor to the cod). After you have de-salted the cod, cook in boiling water for about 10 minutes. This process will help the fish rehydrate and become more succulent. Break the fish into small bits, removing any bones. Mix in a bit of olive oil, garlic and the chopped onion.

Mash the potatoes and add to the cod mixture. Add pepper to your liking (you shouldn’t need to add any salt as the cod should still be a bit salty). Add the egg yolk, flour, herbs, spring onions and remaining oil and mix together. Take a tablespoon of the mix and roll into a ball with your hands. In a medium sized pan heat the vegetable oil to hot, but not too hot otherwise the bolinhos will cook too quickly and burn on the outside. Deep fry the cod balls until lightly browned. Serve with wedges of limes.