Cod and Potato Ovals

This recipe comes very close to the delicious Portuguese salt cod fritters I tasted years ago.

The most time consuming part of the recipe is dealing with the cod, which must be soaked, cooked, boned and shredded before it can be used. The fish is combined with cooked mashed potatoes, eggs and flavourings, shaped and fried. It’s important to use the mealy/starchy potatoes specified; I once tried the recipe with Yukon Gold and they were a complete disaster, disintegrating into the oil during frying.

The fritters have a nice crisp exterior and a moist, tender interior and neither smell nor taste strongly of fish and if you want to make them in advance, they reheat and crisp up nicely in the oven. They’re a huge favourite on Christmas Eve, even for the non-fish lovers in the family,