It wasn’t until I was in my 20s that I began eating fish. Stranger still, at that point I would only eat sushi. I couldn’t stand cooked fish because I associated it with the smell of ocean that tore through house any time mami would make frituras de bacalao (or any fish or seafood, for that matter). It never failed. You’d think being from Miami I was accustomed to that smell, but as a child it made me retch with revulsion and I was certain that anything that smelled that bad couldn’t possibly taste good.
Eventually, though, I did develop a taste for cooked fish and I often think back to the plethora of times my mother made cod fritters and how I missed out. I can still hear her voice taunting and mocking me, “You don’t know what you’re missing!” and “Good! That means more for me!” I know now I missed out on more than just cod fritters, but at least I have her recipe.
If you can find salt-dried bacalao(codfish) in your grocery, you’ll have to soak it for 24 hours, changing the water at least twice to wash away all the salt. If it is not readily available in your area, then simply use the codfish you can get from your local grocer’s fish department. My mother’s recipe calls for the salted cod; my version uses cod loin since I can’t find the salted cod in Indiana.
Comments, questions or suggestions? Let me know!
- 1 lb of cod fish
- 4 eggs, beaten
- 6 tbsp flour
- 1 tbsp baking soda
- 3 tbsp minced onion
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp Old Bay seasoning(optional)
- Boil cod over medium heat uncovered until fully cooked.
- Use a food processor to mince 1/2 an onion or enough to yield 3 tablespoons.
- Chop the parsley finely.
- Mix the dry ingredients together thoroughly.
- Beat the eggs in a separate bowl and set aside.
- Place cooked fish into a bowl and when it is cool enough to handle, shred the fish by hand or with a fork.
- Mix the minced onion together with the fish, then stir in the eggs and mix thoroughly.
- Stir in the flour mixture, mix thoroughly.
- Take the fritter mix by the spoonful and drop the balls into a fryer with pre-heated oil. Fry over medium to medium high heat until golden brown.
- Carefully remove from fryer with a slotted spoon and place on paper towels to absorb the excess oil.
- Serve with cocktail sauce or tartar sauce and lime wedges.