Salt Cod Potato Cakes Recipes

TRADITIONAL NEWFOUNDLAND SALT COD FISH CAKES (MOM-IN-LAW'S RECIPE)

Steps:

• Soak salt fish pieces for 12 to 24 hours in a large bowl of cold water with the fish fully submerged, and place in the refrigerator (draining and changing water once or twice during that time. See Notes below).
• In a large pot of fresh water, boil pieces of salt cod for 15 to 20 minutes (there should be an inch or two of water above the salt cod, basically ensuring that it is fully submerged and covered by the water). Drain.Note: As you are cooking the salt cod, reduce the heat, if necessary, while still maintaining a boil.
• Once salt fish is cool enough to handle, remove skin and all bones (and discard), shred fish with your hands (checking again for bones and discarding) and set the fish aside in a bowl.
• Meanwhile, boil potatoes in another pot of lightly salted water until tender (there should be an inch or two of water above the potatoes, basically ensuring that they are fully submerged and covered by the water). Drain and let cool slightly. Roughly mash potatoes in the pot.Note: As you are cooking the potatoes, reduce the heat, if necessary, while still maintaining a boil.
• To pot of mashed potatoes, add onion, savoury, black pepper, salt fish and about 1 heaping tablespoon of flour. Stir to combine everything, but don't overmix.
• Using a round ice-cream scoop, form salt fish cakes (the size I made were about 60 to 65 grams each or about 2 ounces each). Pat down to form a patty. Place remaining flour in a small bowl. One at a time, lightly dredge fish cakes in flour, shaking off excess.
• Preheat oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit to keep fish cakes warm (as you will be working in batches).
• To cook fish cakes, heat 2 to 3 tablespoons of vegetable or canola oil in a 12-inch cast-iron pan over medium heat.Note: Cook fish cakes are cooked in batches, about 4 to 5 fish cakes per batch.
• Place about 4 to 5 fish cakes in the pan. Cook for about 4 to 5 minutes on one side.
• Flip fish cakes to the other side and continue to cook for another 4 to 5 minutes or until the outside is golden brown and crispy. Transfer fish cakes to a baking sheet and place into your preheated oven to keep warm while you are finishing your batches.
• Repeat process to cook remaining fish cakes.Note: Monitor the temperature as you are cooking the fish cakes so that they don't burn. The skillet tends to get hotter as you are cooking your batches.
• Serve with mustard pickles and a drizzle of molasses (optional). Enjoy!

NEWFOUNDLAND COD CAKES

Steps:

• Bring oil to 360 degrees F in a deep-fryer.
• Peel potatoes and parsnip, then cover with water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Finely dice onions and cook with potato and parsnip. Cook cod in seasoned water until fully cooked, about 8 minutes. Remove the cod.
• Strain the potatoes, parsnip and onion out, then mash them with the butter, herbs and salt and pepper.
• Fold in cod and form into 2-ounce cakes. Coat cakes in flour, then dip in egg wash, and finally in panko.
• Deep-fry cod cakes until golden brown, about 3 minutes.

CRISPY POTATO FISH CAKES WITH COD

Steps:

• Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add cod, season with salt and pepper; cook until just barely opaque and flakey - better to ever-so-slightly undercook the fish than overcook it at this stage, as you'll be cooking it again in the cakes.
• Transfer to a bowl and break into large flakes with your hands. Add mashed potato, egg, green onion and enough bread crumbs so that the mixture holds a patty shape (if using leftover mash with milk or other liquid added, you'll definitely need the whole cup of crumbs). Use your hands or a big spoon to work everything together until well-combined.
• Place flour on a shallow plate. Form potato mixture into 16 equal patties between the palms of your hands, dredging both sides in the flour and transferring to a baking sheet as you go. Refrigerate fish cakes 20 minutes to firm up.
• Wipe out the fish skillet and return to medium heat; add remaining oil. When shimmering hot, add several fish cakes - you'll need to cook them in a few batches to avoid over-crowding the pan. Serve with tartar sauce.

FRENCH SALT COD AND POTATO BRANDADE

Steps:

• Rinse salt cod well and rub off any salt. Soak in 2 quarts cold water. Drain and change water every few hours (an overnight soak without changing is fine). Total soaking time should be at least 8 hours.
• In a medium saucepan, heat milk plus 1 cup water over medium-high heat. Add soaked salt cod, thyme, bay leaf, peppercorns, allspice berries and clove. Adjust heat to maintain a bare simmer. Cook until fish flakes easily, about 15 minutes. Remove fish and hold at room temperature.
• Meanwhile, in another pot, cover potatoes with water and bring to a boil. Add garlic cloves and a good pinch of salt. Drain potatoes when they are soft, about 15 minutes, reserving cooking liquid and garlic.
• Put cooked garlic cloves in a small saucepan and crush with a fork. Add olive oil and heat over a medium flame until quite warm to the touch. Set aside.
• Put potatoes in a large mixing bowl. With your fingers, flake cooked salt cod on top. With a potato masher, roughly blend potatoes and fish. Drizzle in warm garlic oil and mash again. Add cayenne, nutmeg to taste and lemon zest. Stir in ½ cup crème fraîche and beat well to combine. Beat in about ½ cup cooking liquid to lighten mixture so it has the texture of soft mashed potatoes. Taste and adjust seasoning - it will probably need salt and pepper.
• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Use 1 tablespoon butter to grease a low-sided 1-quart baking dish or pie pan. Transfer brandade mixture to dish and smooth with a spatula. Paint the top with 2 tablespoons crème fraîche, and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Dot top with remaining butter. (May be prepared up to a day ahead and stored in the refrigerator; bring to room temperature before baking.) Bake until golden and bubbling, about 20 minutes.

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.

SALT COD FISH CAKES

Steps:

• Soak cod in a large bowl with cold water to cover by 2 inches, chilled, changing water 3 times a day, 1 to 3 days (see cooks' note, below).
• Drain cod and transfer to a 3- to 4-quart pot with fresh water to cover by 2 inches. Bring just to a simmer and remove from heat. (Cod should just flake; do not boil, or it will become tough.) Drain in a colander.
• Cook onion in 1/2 tablespoon butter in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until pale golden, about 7 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.
• Peel potatoes and parsnip. Halve parsnip lengthwise and remove core if tough. Cut potatoes and parsnip into 1-inch pieces and steam together in a steamer over boiling water in a large pot, covered, until tender, 18 to 20 minutes. 3Add to cooked onions and coarsely mash, then cool slightly. Flake cod and stir into potato mixture along with salt to taste and pepper. Stir in egg until just combined.
• Put bread crumbs in a shallow baking dish.
• Form rounded 1/4-cup scoops of cod mixture into 12 (3-inch-diameter) cakes and transfer to a sheet of wax paper. Gently dredge fish cakes in bread crumbs to coat and transfer to a wax-paper-lined tray. Chill, covered with plastic wrap, at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 200°F.
• Heat 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon oil in 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until foam subsides. Cook 4 fish cakes, turning over once, until golden brown, 7 to 8 minutes total.
• Transfer to a paper-towel-lined baking sheet and keep warm in middle of oven. Wipe skillet clean and cook remaining fish cakes in 2 batches, adding 1 tablespoon each of butter and oil per additional batch.

SALT COD AND POTATO CAKES

Steps:

• While potatoes are still hot, mash until smooth. Stir in the milk. Set aside. Drain salt cod, place in a saucepan and cover with water. Simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes. Drain. Finely chop and add it to the potatoes.
• Place bacon in a small skillet and cook until browned. Remove with a slotted spoon and discard. Add onion to the bacon fat. Cook over medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Add onions to the potato mixture. Stir in garlic, thyme and pepper.
• Form the mixture into 12 cakes, each about 1/2 inch thick. Place bread crumbs on a plate. Coat fish cakes with bread crumbs. Coat a large nonstick skillet lightly with oil. Heat over medium heat until hot. Add as many fish cakes as will fit comfortably in pan. Cook until nicely browned on both sides, about 3 minutes per side.

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.

COD AND POTATO CAKES

Steps:

• Stir 1/4 cup each of the breadcrumbs and egg together until combined; stir in the mustard powder, lemon zest, garlic, salt and pepper. Pulse the cod in the bowl of a food processor, fitted with a metal blade, until uniformly chopped. Add the cod, potatoes, green onions, celery and parsley to the egg mixture; mix gently until combined.
• Divide the mixture into 6 equal portions and form into 3/4-inch (2 cm) thick patties. Place the remaining egg and breadcrumbs in separate shallow dishes; dip each patty in the egg and then coat in the breadcrumbs (discard any leftover egg and breadcrumbs).
• Heat the oil in a large, non-stick skillet and set over MEDIUM-HIGH heat. Place the patties in the skillet and cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side or until golden and fish is cooked.