Codfish, known to Italians as Bacalao and lovingly to my grandmother as “salfish” is a commonly used ingredient in West Indian cooking. I remember sitting on my grandmother’s kitchen countertop when I was little while she meticulously boiled and cleaned her codfish, removing the bones and reiterating to me again and again “Salfish tastes the sweetest when you fry it in oil”. Now, salted fish doesn’t exactly sound appetizing and may evoke memories of awry childhood adventures to the fish market (that is, if you come from an immigrant family). I always remember going to the fish market with my mom on Saturdays and being absolutely terrified of my soon to be dinner (though I did forget about it by the time dinner was served:) Nowadays, I choose to buy my salted fish at the regular grocery store in bags free of bones. Please try this recipe and leave your comments below!
- 1 lb of salted codfish
- 3/4 Cup of half and half
- 1/2 lb of Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 Medium white onion, chopped
- 4 stalk of celery, chopped
- 1 Medium red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 Tbsp of old bay seasoning
- 1 Tbsp of sriracha
- 1 egg
- 1 Cup of panko breadcrumbs, plus 2 cups for dredging
- 3 Garlic cloves
- 1/2 Cup of light extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp of crushed red pepper flakes
- Zest of 1/2 lemon
- 1/4 Cup of chopped fresh parsley
- 2 Tbsp of fresh lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp of salt
1. Soak the salted codfish in a large bowl with hot water over night for at least 8 hours. When you are ready to prepare, drain, wash and add the fish to a large stockpot with boiling water. Boil for 20 minutes.
2. While the codfish is boiling, bring the potatoes and garlic cloves to a boil with water in another pot. Add salt and cook for 10 minutes or until fork tender.
3. Drain the potatoes and garlic and mash with half and half. Lumps are perfectly fine!
4. Drain the codfish and break it up with your hands while running it over cold water. Combine with the mashed potatoes.
5. In a small frying pan, saute the chopped bell pepper, onion and celery and season with Old Bay. Add the vegetables to the fish and potato mixture.
6. Once cooled, combine the egg, 1 cup of breadcrumbs, lemon zest, chopped parsley, lemon juice and sriracha to the potatoes and fish.
7. Put the remainder of the panko breadcrumbs in a shallow dish.
8. Take a golf ball sized handful and form into cakes with the palms of your hands.
9. Dredge the fish cakes in the panko breadcrumbs on both sides, making sure to have an even coating on both sides of the cake.
10. Heat the oil in a frying pan.
11. Add the cakes to the oil, taking care to leave enough room between the cakes for flipping. Hint: Overcrowding the pan with the fishcakes drops the temperature of the oil, leaving you with soggy, not crispy cakes!
12. Fry on each side for 2 1/2 – 3 minutes, until golden brown.
13. Immediately transfer the cakes to a cooling rack. Keep them warm in a 250 degree oven until you’re ready to serve them.
14. Serve with a salad for a light lunch or as an appetizer.
Indulgent Simplicity 