A traditional dish of Mediterranean cuisine, codfish cake is even more popular in Portugal, winning the title of typical dish in the region. It had its first official recipe published in 1904, in a work entitled "Complete Treatise of Kitchen and Cup" by Carlos Bento da Maia.
In this register, only the ingredients used and the way of making were mentioned, without mentioning the ideal quantities for a more standardized dish, allowing for adaptations and variations according to the personal taste of the cooker.
Also known as codfish pastries, it has also become popular in Portuguese populated countries such as Angola and Brazil, figuring lunches or serving as a snack at social gatherings.
Its main ingredient, cod, is a fish that has numerous benefits for those who consume it routinely. Among them, the high doses of omega 3, minerals, vitamins A, E and D, besides having almost zero cholesterol.
Ideal to go with rice and beans or even served as a snack, soaked in a delicious sauce, codfish balls are a great choice to enjoy along with a white wine or a Pinot Noir, balancing fat due to frying. Here's a selection of delicious codfish recipes and get inspired:
Read also: Codfish Delights: 44 Mouthwatering Recipes!
1. Simple codfish cake: As per the authors' own description, this recipe is practical, easy and delicious. To prepare it, few ingredients, including boiled potatoes, desalted cod, green smell, and eggs and wheat flour, providing binding to the pasta.
2. Breaded Cod Cakes: The difference with this cupcake is the use of breadcrumbs to bread it, giving it crispness and more flavor. Special recipe, originating from a bar on the edge of the Douro River, carrying a beautiful family history.
3. Well seasoned cod cake: another breaded version, here the cod used was frozen, not needing to desalting it. To thaw it, it was baked in the oven at 180º for 20 minutes, along with some salt, black pepper and olive oil.
4. Asterix potato codfish balls: great choice for serving friends, this delicious snack was prepared with Asterix potato, a kind with more starch than traditional potato, eliminating the need for wheat flour in the preparation of the cookie .
5. Cod Cassava with Cassava: Demonstrating the versatility of this dish, this recipe brings cooked and mashed cassava instead of the common potato, ensuring a fuller texture and unique flavor. The suggestion is to serve them with homemade pepper sauce, adding more flavor.
Also read: 10 practical snacks with less than 150 calories
6. Codfish cake and pink pepper jelly: In this recipe, cassava (or wahoo) again replaces the use of potatoes. To accompany the snack, you will learn how to prepare a pink pepper jelly made with pink peppercorns, apples, water, sugar and lemon, over the fire for about 15 minutes. Delicious!
7. Breadfruit Cod Dumplings: Here the potato is replaced by breadfruit, a drier-textured Asian-origin fruit that does not need to add wheat flour to the dough and makes the recipe a gluten-free option.
8. Codfish cake with snow white: The unusual ingredient of this recipe is snow white, which is replacing the egg, is mixed with the dough, giving the ingredients binding, leaving the cake softer and with an aerated texture.
9. Cod-free Potato Ball: Known as pataniscas, this cod-ball does not carry potatoes in its preparation, using milk, egg and flour to provide a base. Chopped chives, salt, garlic and black pepper make it more palatable.
10. Italian codfish dumpling: Italian version of the dish, called 'Baccalà a Mantecato'. The difference is in the use of cooked parsley manioc as a snack base and milk, ingredients not used in the Portuguese version. The author still suggests baking them instead of frying them, ensuring more health to the dish.
Also read: 18 rice ball recipes to reuse leftovers in a tasty way
11. Oven Cod Cakes: Another lighter version, goes to the oven instead of being fried. Here, breadcrumbs are added in the dough instead of wheat flour, making it more crispy and tasty. The ideal point to remove the cookies from the oven is when they begin to brown.
12. Practical Baked Cod Dumpling: This cookie does not carry wheat flour, featuring a gluten-free recipe, ideal for coeliacs or allergy sufferers. To make your preparation even easier, put the dough in disposable pans, avoiding the work of preparing the balls.
13Baked codfish cake with Portuguese bread: In this version, in addition to the codfish cakes being baked, they also receive a cover of grated Portuguese bread and cabbage crisps, adding beauty, textures and flavor to the dish.
14. Codfish cake in the pot: with a stunning look, this recipe takes the traditional codfish batter dough, to which was added half a box of sour cream, trying to make it more creamy, and sprinkled parmesan cheese as a topping and baked in the oven for browning.
15. Light codfish balls: To make this dish lighter, yacon potato flour was chosen because of its reduced calorie content. In addition to this exchange, there is still the preference for grated light Parmesan cheese and the addition of flaked quinoa, adding nutrients to the snack.
Read also: 30 practical and tasty recipes for those who live alone
Variety and versatility are the features of this cupcake. In addition to the suggestions above, try replacing tubers or choose ingredients in its light version, seeking to make the dish lighter and healthier.
Joaquim Antero tips for a respect cookie
Who better to teach this traditional dish than a subject matter expert? In the following video, Joaquim Antero, owner of Bar do Adonis establishment, where he serves a delicious codfish cake that wins over customers, teaches some tricks for a perfect codfish cake:
- Tip 1: Use a quality potato. According to him, the best option is the Asterix potato, which is drier, preventing the texture of the cake from getting soft.
- Tip 2: dry the fish well. If necessary, take it to the fire to ensure all excess water is disposed of.
- Tip 3: leave the oil very hot before adding the fries to fry, if it is cold the moment the cookies are put, they can open.
- Tip 4: For a more tasty cake, fry it immediately after preparation, avoiding freezing, as these will have their flavor changed.
- Tip 5: opt for extra virgin olive oil, preferably of Portuguese origin.
Delicious option to enjoy cod leftovers during any time of the year, the cookie is ideal to be served as a side dish or as a snack, and can be tasted with a beautiful sauce or just olive oil, the fact is that this typical Portuguese dish has already been integrated with our cuisine, providing good times and unparalleled taste. Try it!
MasterChef Junior - An Extra Serving (May 2024)
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