Old Bay Codcakes Recipes

COD FISH CAKES

Steps:

• Place the potatoes in a large pot of water, bring the water to a boil. Let the potatoes cook until they are almost tender.
• Add the fish to the pot and let the fish and potatoes cook until they are both soft. Drain well and transfer the potatoes and fish to a large mixing bowl.
• Add butter, onion, parsley, and egg to the bowl; mash the mixture together. Mold the mixture into patties.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over a medium-high heat. Fry the patties on both sides until golden brown. Drain on paper towels before serving.

CLASSIC OLD BAY CRAB CAKES

Steps:

• Break bread into small pieces in large bowl. Moisten with milk. Add mayonnaise and Worcestershire sauce; mix well. Add remaining ingredients; mix lightly. Shape into 4 patties.
• Refrigerate patties 30 minutes to help keep them together when cooking.
• Heat oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Fry crab cakes about 5 minutes per side or until cooked through and golden brown.
• Test Kitchen Tip: To broil instead of frying, place crab cakes on foil-lined baking sheet. Broil 10 minutes, turning once, or until golden brown on both sides.

COD CAKES

Steps:

• Fill a shallow, wide pan with high sides with about an inch of water, and set it over high heat. Add the peppercorns, bay leaf and 1 section of the lemon to the water, and allow it to come to a bare simmer. Place the fish into this poaching liquid, and cook, barely simmering, until the flesh has just begun to whiten all the way through, approximately 6 to 8 minutes. Using a wide spatula, carefully remove the fish from the water, and set aside to cool.
• Empty the pan, and return it to the stove, over medium-high heat. Add the butter, and allow it to melt, swirling it around the pan. When the butter foams, add the celery, onions and garlic, and sauté, stirring often, until the vegetables soften and the onions turn translucent, then transfer them to a large bowl.
• In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, mustard, eggs, salt, pepper and seasoning salt (or paprika and hot-pepper flakes), then add this mixture to the bowl with the sautéed vegetables, pour the crushed saltines or bread crumbs over them and stir to combine. Add the parsley, and stir again.
• Flake the cooked fish into the binding sauce carefully, keeping the flakes as whole as you can manage, then gather them into small balls, and form them into patties, 4-6 for a main course, 6-8 for an appetizer. Place them on a sheet pan or platter, cover loosely with plastic wrap and transfer them to the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to set.
• Set a large sauté pan over high heat, and add to it the neutral oil. When the oil is shimmering, remove the fish cakes from the refrigerator, and carefully sauté the patties until they are golden brown, approximately 4 to 5 minutes a side. Work in batches if necessary. (A small smear of mayonnaise on the exterior of the patties will give them a crisp crust.) Serve them alone, or with greens dressed in a lemony vinaigrette, with the remaining wedges of lemon.

COD CAKES

Steps:

• Add some salt and a bouquet garni of some bay leaves, lemon wedges and black peppercorns to a pot of boiling water. Add the cod fillets and boil for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the cod from the water and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Boil the potatoes in plenty of salted water until tender. Drain, mash and cool completely.
• Pan-fry the onions in a little bit of canola oil until soft. Set aside to cool.
• In a large bowl, mix together the chilled cod, mashed potatoes, fried onions, sour cream, chives, mustard, scallions, Worcestershire sauce, Old Bay seasoning, garlic powder, white pepper and 1 tablespoon salt. Add the breadcrumbs and mix to combine. Form the mixture into 4-ounce cakes.
• Heat some oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Pan-fry the cakes in batches until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes per side; add some additional oil and butter between batches as needed.

CAPTAIN DUARTE'S SALT COD CAKES

Steps:

• Place the salt cod into a bowl and cover with cold water. Refrigerate for 8 hours. Pour off the water and replace with fresh water every 2 hours. After the fish has soaked for 8 hours, rinse in cold water, and cut into 3-inch sections.
• Place the cod and potatoes into a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the potatoes are tender and the cod flakes easily with a fork, about 20 minutes. Drain and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
• Place the potatoes and cod into a mixing bowl. Season with the seafood seasoning, pepper, and parsley; roughly mash with a potato masher. Stir in the eggs and onion until evenly combined. There should still be pieces of cod and potato in the mixture. Form into golf ball-sized pieces, and roll in the flour. Press between your palms to flatten slightly.
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the cod cakes in batches until golden and crispy on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.

CODFISH CAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Cook until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
• Cut fish into large chunks; pulse in a food processor to coarsely chop. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add onion, tarragon, egg, and Tabasco, and combine well. Add remaining salt and pepper. Form 8 patties (3 inches each); dredge them in breadcrumbs, shaking off excess.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Cook 4 patties until browned, about 4 to 5 minutes on each side. Remove to a baking sheet, cover with aluminum foil, and keep warm in oven. Wipe out skillet, return to heat, and add remaining olive oil. Cook remaining patties, and serve immediately with tartar sauce.

CLASSIC OLD BAY CRAB CAKES

Steps:

• Break bread into small pieces and moisten with milk. Add remaining ingredients. Shape into patties.
• Refrigerate the patties 30 minutes to help keep them together when frying.
• Fry until golden-brown on both sides.

COD FISH CAKES

Steps:

• Soak the salt cod in cold water. Salt cod needs a long soaking to remove the preserving salt, so start at least 1 day in advance. First, wash off excess salt under cold, running water. Place fish in a bowl, or crock, of cold water and refrigerate, changing the water several times. Soak until the fish feels soft and almost fresh, this will take a good 24 hours.
• Poach the salt cod. In a 2-quart pan, add onion, bay leaf, peppercorns, and water and bring to a simmer. After 5 minutes, add the drained soaked codfish and enough water to cover the fish. Bring to a simmer. When it comes to a simmer, cover immediately, and remove pan from heat (salt cod toughens if simmered more than a few seconds). Let stand for 10 minutes or until you are ready to use it.
• Drain the fish and flake it into a bowl. In a separate bowl, mash the potatoes. Using your hands or a wooden fork, mix the mashed potatoes in with flaked cod. The portions are up to you, more potato than fish is usually the norm. Suggested seasonings to be added at this point are chopped onion, chopped parsley, pepper, etc. In a cup, beat eggs with a pinch of salt. Beat 3/4 of eggs into the fish and potato mixture. Add more egg by drops if mixture is very stiff. Add a little cornmeal if the mixture is too wet. Let cool 20 minutes for easy forming.
• In a frying pan, heat about 1/2-inch of butter or bacon grease. Shape cod mixture into small patties, being sure to flatten out the centers. Just before placing in the frying pan, coat patties with cornmeal. Fry 2 to 3 minutes on each side until browned. Remove to a tray lined with paper towels. Keep warm in 200 degree F oven while frying the remaining.

NEW ENGLAND COD CAKES

Steps:

• If using salt cod: Soak salt cod in a large volume of water in the refrigerator for 12 - 24 hours. Change water several times. Place fillet into a 3 -4 quart sauce pan with a large volume of water, bring to a boil and turn heat down so that liquid is simmering. Cook for 10 minutes, remove from heat and leave in water for 10 - 15 minutes. Rinse under cold water and break into flakes.
• Boil potatoes in salted water until done, drain and return to pan over moderate heat for 2-3 minutes to evaporate excess moisture. Mash as for mashed potatoes and keep warm. Saute onions or scallions in a small amount of butter until soft.
• Mix fish, potatoes, butter and onions to- gether using a fork, then mix in eggs, mus- tard, pepper and herbs, if using.
• Form the mixture into cakes and refrigerate for up to 6 hours if not cooking immediately.
• Heat enough butter to coat a frying pan, preferably non stick, and cook over medium heat until each side is well browned and the cakes are heated through.
• Serve immediately with slices of lemon, tarter sauce or mayonnaise mixed with lemon juice and capers. Smaller cakes can be served as a first course, while larger cakes, served with salad and bread, make a great lunch or light dinner.

ED COOPER'S COD CAKES

Steps:

• Rinse salt cod under running water for 5 to 10 minutes to remove salt. Put in a pan, cover with cold water and heat to just below boiling. Drain immediately and cover with fresh cold water. Repeat the heating and draining procedure two or three times, until cod is pleasantly but not overpoweringly salty.
• Cut potatoes in half and put in a pan with salt cod and fresh cod. Cover with cold water. Place over medium heat, bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender and easily pierced with a fork. Remove from heat, let cool slightly and drain.
• Using a potato masher, roughly break up the cod and the potatoes. Continue mixing together until the mixture is cohesive. Lightly beat the eggs and add to the mixture, together with the baking powder. Add the chopped onions and mix well.
• Taste the mixture and add salt, pepper and Tabasco. When seasoning is correct, form mixture into flattened balls that will fit comfortably in your palm.
• Put an inch of lard or vegetable oil in the bottom of a heavy-duty saute pan. Set over medium heat and heat oil until a bread cube dropped into the oil turns golden quickly. Ease cod cakes into the hot fat and cook about 15 minutes to a side, turning once. Adjust heat so cod cakes do not burn, but become golden all over. Drain on paper towels, if desired.

FRESH COD CAKES

Steps:

• Tear bread into pieces and pulse to fine crumbs in a food processor. Transfer a scant cup of crumbs to a bowl for fish cakes and reserve remaining 1 1/2 cups in a shallow bowl for coating. Pulse celery and scallions in processor until coarsely chopped, then add parsley and pulse until finely chopped. Combine celery mixture with scant cup crumbs in bowl (for fish cakes).
• Pulse fish in processor until finely chopped (be careful not to process to a paste). Add fish to celery-crumb mixture along with egg, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper, stirring until combined well.
• Season bread crumbs in shallow bowl with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Gently shape fish mixture into 4 (4-inch) patties (mixture will be soft) and coat well with seasoned bread crumbs. Chill, uncovered, on a wax-paper-lined large plate 10 minutes.
• Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then fry 2 fish cakes, turning over once, until golden brown and cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes total. Repeat with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil and 2 fish cakes, wiping out skillet with a paper towel between batches.

OLD BAY CODCAKES

Steps:

• 1. In a medium bowl, mix cod, pork rinds, eggs, cream, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, dill weed, salt and pepper until well blended. Using about 1/4 cup of the mixture at a time, shape into eight 3-inch patties.2. Into a large skillet, pour oil to a depth of 1/4 inch place over medium heat. When hot, add codcakes, half at a time, and cook for 5 minutes on each side or until well browned. Remove from skillet and drain on paper towels. Serve hot or cold.

OLD BAY CODCAKES

Steps:

• 1. In a medium bowl, mix cod, pork rinds, eggs, cream, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, dill weed, salt and pepper until well blended. Using about 1/4 cup of the mixture at a time, shape into eight 3-inch patties.2. Into a large skillet, pour oil to a depth of 1/4 inch place over medium heat. When hot, add codcakes, half at a time, and cook for 5 minutes on each side or until well browned. Remove from skillet and drain on paper towels. Serve hot or cold.