Blogging today proved to be a real challenge.   My son decided he needed his mommy every waking moment of the day.   Whenever I was approximately 10 feet away he would sound the alarm.   On a normal day he’s contented to know that I’m in the same room, and that he can hear or see me, but today was different.   And I obliged.   Whatever the reason was, I had to put cooking on the back burner and tend to my son.    I waited until he had turned in for the night to get down to business.   Things have a way of working itself out, because these ended up being a great late night snack.

Stamp and Go, Accra, Bacalaitos and Pastéis de Bacalhau are the many aliases of Saltfish fritters.   In Spain and Portugal these are made with potatoes while in the Caribbean we skip the potatoes and use flour and water to form a batter.   Whether it’s made with or without potatoes, eggs or flour, the main ingredient remains the same.    Spoonfuls of batter laden with cod fish are fried into crispy nuggets of perfection.    Serve these with pepper sauce or a garlic aioli and watch them disappear right before your eyes.  I drizzled a bit of Sriracha over mine and it was divine! 

 

Saltfish Fritters

8 oz salted Cod fish, soaked overnight

2 cloves garlic

½ medium onion

1 tsp thyme

1 tbsp parsley

1 scallion, finely chopped

1 wiri wiri pepper, seeds removed

1 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup water

Canola oil

Place saltfish in a bowl and cover with water.  Allow to sit overnight in the water to remove the excess salt.

Place garlic, thyme, onion, pepper, parsley and scallion into food processor and pulse until finely chopped.   Place seasoning mixture in a large bowl.  Drain the water from the Codfish.  Next, flake the codfish, then place into food processor and pulse 3 or 4 times until finely shredded.   Add shredded codfish to the bowl with the seasoning and mix.   Add flour and baking powder then stir to combine.  Next, add water and stir to form a batter.

Place canola oil in a deep sauce pan.  The oil needs to be about 3 inches deep.   Heat oil over a medium fire.  When the oil is hot, use a small spoon to drop spoonfuls of batter into hot oil.   Fry until golden brown, flipping once.   Place on a plate covered with paper towel to drain.  Serve warm.