Bolinhos de bacalhau (Portuguese salt cod fritters)
Ingredients
Method
- Soak the salt cod in plenty of cold water in the fridge for 24 to 48 hours, changing the water 3 to 4 times.
- Cook the potatoes in their skins in water for 25 minutes. Meanwhile, poach the cod for 8 minutes in barely simmering water, without boiling, then drain.
- Peel the potatoes and mash them with a potato ricer. Remove the skin and bones from the cod, shred it very finely, then squeeze it in a clean tea towel to dry it well.
- Mix the mash, cod, very finely grated onion, chopped garlic, chopped parsley, nutmeg and pepper. Add the eggs one at a time and beat hard with a wooden spoon for 2 to 3 minutes until the mixture is light and holds its shape. Taste before adding salt.
- Heat the oil to 170 °C. Shape oval quenelles by passing the mixture from one spoon to the other, then drop them into the oil a few at a time. Fry for 3 to 4 minutes, turning, until well browned.
- Drain on kitchen paper and serve hot, warm or cold, with lemon wedges.
Notes
Crisp outside, soft inside: bolinhos de bacalhau are the salt cod fritters you find in every café in Portugal. Here is our traditional Portuguese salt cod fritters recipe, with potato and parsley, shaped with two spoons just like over there.
Bolinhos or pastéis de bacalhau?
These fritters go by two names depending on the region: bolinhos de bacalhau or pastéis de bacalhau. It is exactly the same recipe. In Brazil, where they are also hugely popular, people usually say bolinhos. They are eaten at the counter, as a snack, on picnics or as a main course with a salad.
They aren’t accras
They are sometimes confused with Caribbean accras, but the two recipes are different. Accras are made with a flour batter spiced with chilli and have an irregular shape. Bolinhos de bacalhau are based on mashed potato, with no flour, and have a neat oval shape made with two spoons.
Soaking and drying the salt cod
Salt cod is soaked for 24 to 48 hours in cold water in the fridge, changing the water 3 to 4 times. After a brief poach, shred it very finely and squeeze it in a tea towel. Well-dried cod gives a firm mixture and fritters that don’t soak up oil.
Easy salt cod fritters
These easy salt cod fritters mostly need a bit of organisation. Soak the cod the day before, cook the potatoes and the cod at the same time, then mix everything in a bowl. With frozen pre-soaked salt cod, you save a whole day.
Shaping the fritters with two spoons
To shape salt cod fritters, take a spoonful of mixture and pass it from one spoon to the other three or four times. You get an oval quenelle with three sides, the typical bolinho shape. Dip the spoons in the hot oil now and then so the mixture doesn’t stick.
Crisp salt cod fritters
For crisp salt cod fritters, the oil must be at 170 °C. Cooler, and the mixture soaks up fat; hotter, and the outside burns before the inside is hot. Fry in small batches so the temperature doesn’t drop, and drain straight away on kitchen paper.
Why do the fritters fall apart?
Salt cod fritters that fall apart in the oil nearly always have a mixture that is too wet: cod or potatoes not drained well enough. Oil that isn’t hot enough or a mixture that hasn’t been beaten enough also play a part. Squeeze the cod well, let the mashed potatoes steam off for a few minutes, and test one fritter before frying the batch.
Oven-baked or air fryer salt cod fritters
For oven-baked salt cod fritters, place the quenelles on an oiled tray, brush them with olive oil and bake for 20 to 25 minutes at 200 °C, turning halfway. In an air fryer, allow 12 to 14 minutes at 190 °C, with a light coating of oil. They are less crisp than fried ones, but lighter.
Salt cod fritters without potato?
Potato is what gives bolinhos their soft texture. Salt cod fritters without potato are made with a batter of flour, milk and raising agent, which brings them closer to accras or Spanish buñuelos. They are good, but they are no longer the Portuguese recipe.
Salt cod fritters with cheese
A modern variation is to tuck a small cube of cheese into the centre of each quenelle before frying. In Portugal, a sheep’s cheese from the Serra da Estrela is sometimes used. These salt cod fritters with cheese are delicious, but they aren’t traditional.
Bolinhos de bacalhau in a Thermomix
In a Thermomix, chop the onion, garlic and parsley for 5 seconds on speed 5. Add the poached, shredded cod and chop for 5 seconds on speed 4, then add the cooked potatoes, nutmeg and pepper and mix for 20 seconds, reverse, speed 4. Add the eggs for 30 seconds on speed 3, then shape and fry as in the recipe.
Which sauce for salt cod fritters?
In Portugal, bolinhos are eaten plain with a squeeze of lemon. If you’d like a sauce for salt cod fritters, a garlic and lemon mayonnaise or a spicy piri-piri sauce suits them very well. A pinch of nutmeg in the mixture is enough to give them their flavour.
What to serve with bolinhos de bacalhau
As a snack, simply serve them with lemon and a glass of vinho verde. As a main course, the Portuguese pair them with a black-eyed bean salad with onion and parsley, or tomato rice. Start the meal with our caldo verde, or serve them alongside our bacalhau à Brás for an all-cod buffet. Fond of fish cakes? Also try Norwegian fiskekaker or Dutch bitterballen, another fried snack classic. Our spice guide helps you vary the flavours of your meals. In Brazil, bolinhos de bacalhau are often shared with pão de queijo, little cheese breads from Minas Gerais.
Freezing salt cod fritters
To freeze salt cod fritters, let them cool after frying, freeze them on a tray, then put them in a freezer bag. They keep for 3 months. Reheat them from frozen for 10 to 12 minutes in the oven at 180 °C: they turn crisp again. Once cooked, they also keep for 2 days in the fridge.
Bolinhos de bacalhau calories
One salt cod fritter provides about 75 kcal and 5 g of protein. Frying accounts for most of the calories: well drained and fried at the right temperature, they stay reasonable. Allow 4 to 6 fritters per person as a main course, 2 or 3 as a snack.
Frequently asked questions
Can the mixture be made ahead?
Yes, the mixture keeps for 24 hours in the fridge, well covered. It is even easier to shape once cold. Fry just before serving.
Can I use fresh cod?
Yes, but the flavour is milder and the flesh wetter. Poach it, drain it very carefully and season the mixture with more salt, since fresh cod isn’t salted.
