Pastéis de Bacalhau are a delicious deep fried combination of potatoes and cod that can be eaten at any time of day. They are are a popular appetizer at many snack-bars and restaurants here in Portugal. Codfish cakes are the perfect introduction to bacalhau, a traditional type of fish, rumoured to have over a hundred different recipes.
Bacalhau in Portugal
What is bacalhau? It’s dried and salted cod that is hugely popular, you’ll find it in almost every supermarket, farmers, and fish market. This particular recipe uses lascas de bacalhau, that is the small pieces and off-cuts. However, if you can’t find lascas, any form of bacalhau can be rehydrated and shredded. Although the locals will tell you that using the best part of the fish for a recipe like this would be a waste!
Pasteis de Bacalhau with Cheese?
If you’ve been to a major city in Portugal, you’ve no doubt come across – Casa Portuguesa do Pastel de Bacalhau. That’s the House of the Portuguese Codfish Cake and they’re rapidly spreading all over Portugal. There’s now 7 stores in Lisbon, several in Porto, and they’re also in places like Óbidos, Aveiro and Cascais.
They specifically serve a large single Pasteis de Bacalhau that’s filled with Serra de Estrella cheese. Despite their logo, branding and marketing, the locals are not a fan of this controversial food made specifically for tourists. Should you give it a try? Well bacalhau and Serra da Estrella cheese are typically Portuguese and delicious, the combination is unusual though. We’d also suggest not combining them with a glass of Port! Have that on its own!
If it’s your only opportunity to try bacalhau then give it a go, if not try to find the traditional version like this recipe first!
Pastéis de Bacalhau – Salt Codfish Cake Recipe
Pastéis de Bacalhau: How To Make Portuguese Codfish Cakes!
4
servings30
minutes40
minutes300
kcalPastéis de Bacalhau are a delicious deep fried combination of potatoes and cod that can be eaten at any time of day.
Ingredients
400 g Lascas de Bacalhau
750 g Cooked Potatoes
1 Large Onion – Finely Chopped
1 Large Egg Yolk
Parsley – To Taste
Salt – To Taste
Black Pepper – To Taste
Pinch 1 Nutmeg
1 l Vegetable Oil – For Frying
1 tbsp Potato Starch
Directions
- Place a medium pan with water over high heat and bring it to a boil, then add the cod pieces and let it simmer for approximately 8 minutes.
- Drain it and keep the water in the pan, use it to boil the potatoes whole with its skin, the cod water will bring more flavour to the potatoes and the skin will protect it from absorbing water in excess.
- Cook the potatoes until soft but firm still.
- In the meantime let’s shred the cod. Our favourite way of doing so it’s to place the fish over two layers of clean cloths, wrap it and start squeezing and pounding it, kind of like kneading bread dough. Trust me, this will meticulously shred the fish and drain any left over juices.
- Drain the potatoes, transfer them into a large bowl and then mash, allow to cool for a few minutes.
- Combine the mashed potatoes, the codfish and the remaining ingredients together.
- Add a tablespoon of potato starch into the final mixture if it feels too wet.
- Use two tablespoons to shape the dough mixture into almond-shaped balls
- Deep fry the cakes in vegetable oil until browned.
- Place your fried cod cakes on some kitchen paper and let it absorb the excess oil. Let them cool (if you can wait that long!) for a few minutes before serving.
- Serve with a squeeze of lemon, and a dip!
Our favourite way of serving Pastéis de Bacalhau is with some Piri-Piri mayo and a squeeze of lemon!
More Delicious Portuguese Appetizers?
- Croquetes de Alheira – Portuguese Sausage Croquettes
- Gambas ao Alhinho – Portuguese Fried Garlic Prawns
- Peixinhos da Horta – Portuguese Fried Green Beans
Let us know in the comments if you’ve tried our Portuguese codfish cake recipe and what you think of it!
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How many does this recipe yield approx?
Around 20 depending on how you shape them!
Love those! My favourite food 😋 thank you for the recipe!
We’re glad you enjoyed, they’re a favourite of ours too!
I can’t find salted cod anywhere near me. Can I make the Pastéis de Bacalhau with cod that is unsalted?
You absolutely can, they may miss a little of the distinctive and Portuguese taste, but they’ll still be very good!
Can I bake them instead of deep fry?
Hello, you could try, it’s not something we’ve attempted. You could try to flatten them and pan fry or air fry them, if you’re looking for a non-deep fried alternative. Let us know how it goes in the oven if you try it though!