The first time I tried fish cakes were long ago when I used to work at one of Canada’s banks. Canada is a multicultural nation with peoples from all corners of the world. The fish cake I had back then was brought from a Portuguese lady and co-worker who proudly watched her cod fish cakes vanish from the platter.

This version of the fish cake has its origins in the Catalan region of Spain (think Barcelona). In both recipes salt cod is the base ingredient where it’s soaked in water to draw out the salt. The cod is then gently poached, hand-torn and and mixed with potatoes and formed into patties and fried into a wonderful fritter that’s light, fluffy and delicious.

This recipe is inspired by an episode of Rick Stein’s Mediterranean Escapes. The Catalan name of this dish is Bunyols de bacalla (salt cod fritters with parsley and garlic). I have not been to Spain but it’s on my list and I adore the the cuisines of the many nations that surround the Mediterranean basin. If you’re looking for more inspiration to create a Spanish-themed dinner, head over to my friend Nuria’s site, “Spanish Recipes“. Nuria’s mostly showcases Catalan cuisine but I can assure you that you will also get a taste of all of Espana.

On to my take on the recipe. I am Greek, therefore this dish will take on a little massaging for my tastes. I boil the potatoes with their skins on. This serves three purposes: retain the most of the nutrients of the potatoes, assure the potato used in the fritter is starchy, not glutenous and finally, a few extra potatoes are reserved to make a Skordalia. A Skordalia is a garlicky sidedish/dip that’s a Greek cuisine stalwart and most commonly served with battered and fried codfish. The pairing of Skordalia with these fritters is a natural.

The other personal addition I’ve made to this dish is to add some some chopped fresh dill into the mix. You don’t like dill? Try adding some fennel fronds or another herb of your choice. Traditionally, the fritters are fried and you may certainly follow this route but in this case, I’ve formed the fish cakes and baked them off in the oven. The result is a golden-coloured fish cake, they hold together well and I’ve saved time, saved on oil for frying and I’ve made the dish healthier by avoiding the fry pan.

Baked Fish Cakes

1lb. of boneless salt cod fillet

1 bay leaf

2 medium-sized Russet potatoes (skins on)

1/4 cup all purpose flour

3 large eggs

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

1/4 cup chopped fresh dill

sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Skordalia (with potato)

3 Russet (starchy) potatoes

5-6 cloves of garlic, minced

approx. 1/2 cup of extra-virgin olive oil

good wine vinegar to taste

sea salt to taste

1. Rinse the salt cod under cold running water to remove the salted crust. Place in a large bowl and fill up with water. Allow to soak for 1 day, changing the water every 2-3 hours (taste a small piece of the fish to test if enough of the salt has been extracted).
2. Place your salt cod fillet into a pan and add enough water to just cover it and add the bay leaf. Turn the heat to medium and bring to a boil. Take off the heat and allow the cod to stand for 10 minutes in the water bath. Remove the cod from the water and allow to cool. Flake the fish with a fork or use your fingers and place in a large bowl.
3. In the meantime, add your potatoes (2 for the dish cakes + 3 for the Skordalia) in to a pot. You may use the liquid used to poach your cod, the bay leaf plus any extra water required to cover the potatoes. Bring to a boil, add some salt and boil until fork-tender.
4. In another pan, add 3/4 cup water plus a splash of olive oil and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and add the flour and mix with a wooden spoon  until a paste forms. Allow to cool a bit and then add the eggs (one at a time) mix in. Set aside.
5. In the meantime, your potatoes should be fork-tender by now. Remove the potatoes and place in some cold water to help cool them.  As soon as they are cool enough to handle (should still be warm), Peel the skins of the potatoes using the back of your knife and pass the potatoes through a ricer (2 potatoes for the the cod fish and 3 potatoes in another bowl for the Skordalia). Add the potatoes into the pot with the flour and egg mixture. Reserve.
6. For the Skordalia, add  the minced garlic and mix with a fork. While stirring with a fork, add a slow stream of extra-virgin olive oil (between 1/3 – 1/2 cup) and add salt and wine vinegar to taste. Set aside.
7. Into the pot with the cod and riced potatoes, add the minced garlic and stir to incorporate. Place over your stove-top on low heat and stir and cook for about 5 minutes or until the mixture all adheres and can be formed into balls. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and add the chopped parsley and dill and mix well.
8. Pre-heat your oven to 425F and set the rack to the 3rd position from the top. Brush a baking tray with oil and form your cod mixture into patties and place on the baking sheet. Brush the tops of the patties with some oil (your choice) and place in your pre-heated oven for 10 minutes or until the bottoms are golden. Flip and bake for another 7-10 minutes until again golden.
9. Serve warm with the Skordalia.

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at  https://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.

© 2007-2010 Peter Minakis