These Brazilian cod cakes (bolinho de bacalhau) make a crispy appetizer to dip in a rosé sauce. The best way to introduce fish to children! They are as delicious as our chicken fritters and rissoles.
I love fried cod cakes so much I selected them to be served as one of the hors d’oeuvres at my wedding reception.
They were so delicious that 11 years later my husband still remembers them fondly– and he is not even a big fan of cod fish.
As a starter, they are usually accompanied by a rosé sauce or eaten casually with a spritz from a lemon wedge. If you wish, they can also be served as a main dish accompanied by a fresh salad. Cod cakes can also be served with caipirinha.
These cod cakes can be made in large amounts ahead of time and frozen so that they will be ready at hand, saving time.
Although there is more than one version of the recipe in Brazil, the cod cakes that I am about to present to you is my particular favorite because its batter contains beaten egg whites, giving the cod cakes a more delicate, airy texture, and also because the cod cakes are breaded, resulting in a golden crunchy crust.
Because it is such a versatile dish, cod cakes are perfect for serving at both formal and casual events — anything from weddings to trivial occasions, card or board game nights, or the Super Bowl.
It all depends on how they are presented, as well what other dishes accompany them. In addition, cod cakes are an easy way to make kids eat fish without all the fuss. My five-year-old ate several of these cakes and came back for more.
Well, I hope that you enjoy these cod cakes (mine are all gone now– my husband, two children, and I devoured them all…and it was a double batch!)
Try your hand at making these cod cakes and share your thoughts with me. 😉
Use leftovers to make this Baked Cod or these cod fish tacos.
How to make cod cakes (Bolinho de bacalhau)
- To make this cod cakes recipe, wash, peel, cut into cubes and cook the potatoes with 1 teaspoon of salt over medium-high heat in a pan filled with enough water to cover the potatoes (approx. 20 minutes) or until the potatoes are tender. Drain and let cool slightly for about 5 minutes.
- Mash potatoes well with a fork.
- De-salt the cod fillets– Put the cod in a bowl and fill with enough water to cover the fillets. Refrigerate for 24 hours, changing the water about 5 or 6 times. Drain the fish before you start to cook it. Then place the fillets in a pan with enough water to cover them and bring to a boil over medium heat. When boiling has begun, reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for about 5-7 minutes. Drain and let cool. To make the cod cakes mixture, flake the cod with your hands and add to the mashed potatoes.
- Add the green onions, cilantro or parsley, onion, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, a generous pinch of ground white pepper, and pinch of both nutmeg and cayenne pepper. Stir everything well to form a homogeneous mixture.
- Separate the whites from the yolks of 2 eggs. Add the egg yolks to the potato mixture. Place the egg whites in a clean, dry bowl and beat well with an electric mixer on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes or until firm peaks form.
- Using a plastic spatula, fold the beaten egg whites into the potato mixture until completely incorporated. This will give the cakes a more delicate, airy texture.
- In a shallow bowl, beat 1 whole egg and set aside. Pour the breadcrumbs onto a baking sheet and set aside.
Using a tablespoon, remove a spoonful of potato mixture and roll to make balls about the size of a walnut with shell. Repeat the process until the mixture is used up. - For breading the cod fritters, roll 1 to 4 balls at a time in the beaten egg and lift out with the help of both a spoon and fork in order to drain off excess egg. Then roll the balls well in breadcrumbs. Repeat this process with all the cod cakes.
- For frying them, heat the oil to 350° F (180 ° C) in a deep fryer (it is important that the oil reaches this temperature first before starting to fry, or else they will turn out oily). Fry about 6 cod cakes at a time, for 1 to 2 minutes or until golden brown, turning at least once to evenly brown the sides. Remove cod cakes with a slotted spoon and place on a baking sheet lined with paper towels in order to remove the excess fat. Store in a preheated oven at 190 ° F (about 90 ° C) for up to 15 minutes to keep the cod cakes warm. Serve cod cakes with lemon wedges or rosé sauce (recipe below).
- To prepare the rosé sauce: Mix all the ingredients together until the mixture is homogenous. Place in a ramekin and serve accompanying the cod cakes.
Storage
These cod cakes can be fried up to 1 hour before serving and be kept at room temperature. However, before serving, place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake in a preheated oven at 390 º F (200 º C) for about 10 minutes or until they are hot.
If you want to freeze them after they are fried and excess fat removed, place in the freezer in a clean, covered plastic container for up to 1 month.
To thaw and reheat, remove cod cakes from the freezer and thaw at room temperature for 15 minutes. Then place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and heat in a preheated oven at 390 º F (200 º C) for about 12 minutes or until hot.
PIN & ENJOY!
Cod Cake (Bolinho de Bacalhau)
Equipment
- fryer
- Pans
Ingredients
For the Cod Cake Batter:
- 17.5 ounces Idaho potatoes about 1/2 kg
- 1 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2-1/2 cups salted cod fillets skinless or skin-removed
- 2 teaspoons green onions finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons parsley or cilantro finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons white or yellow onion small diced
- A generous pinch of ground white pepper
- A pinch of ground nutmeg and cayenne pepper
- 3 medium eggs
- 2/3 cups breadcrumbs
- 1 quart about 1 liter vegetable oil for frying
For the Rosé Sauce:
- 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream chilled
- 3 - 4 tablespoons ketchup
- A pinch of salt and a pinch of white ground pepper
Instructions
- Wash, peel, cut into cubes and cook the potatoes with 1 teaspoon of salt over medium-high heat in a pan filled with enough water to cover the potatoes (approx. 20 minutes) or until the potatoes are tender. Drain and let cool slightly for about 5 minutes.
- Mash potatoes well with a fork.
- De-salt the cod fillets-- Put the cod in a bowl and fill with enough water to cover the fillets. Refrigerate for 24 hours, changing the water about 5 or 6 times. Drain the cod before you start to cook it.
- Then place the fillets in a pan with enough water to cover them and bring to a boil over medium heat. When boiling has begun, reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for about 5-7 minutes. Drain and let cool. Flake the cod with your hands and add to the mashed potatoes.
- Add the green onions, cilantro or parsley, onion, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, a generous pinch of ground white pepper, and pinch of both nutmeg and cayenne pepper. Stir everything well to form a homogeneous mixture.
- Separate the whites from the yolks of 2 eggs. Add the egg yolks to the potato mixture. Place the egg whites in a clean, dry bowl and beat well with an electric mixer on medium-high speed for about 2 minutes or until firm peaks form.
- Using a plastic spatula, fold the beaten egg whites into the potato mixture until completely incorporated. This will give the cakes a more delicate, airy texture.
- In a shallow bowl, beat 1 whole egg and set aside. Pour the breadcrumbs onto a baking sheet and set aside.
- Using a tablespoon, remove a spoonful of potato mixture and roll to make balls about the size of a walnut with shell. Repeat the process until the mixture is used up.
- For breading the cod cakes, roll 1 to 4 balls at a time in the beaten egg and lift out with the help of both a spoon and fork in order to drain off excess egg. Then roll the balls well in breadcrumbs. Repeat this process with all the cod cakes.
- For frying the cod cakes, heat the oil to 350° F (180 ° C) in a deep fryer (it is important that the oil reaches this temperature first before starting to fry, or else the cakes will turn out oily). Fry about 6 cod cakes at a time, for 1 to 2 minutes or until golden brown, turning at least once to evenly brown the sides.
- Remove cod cakes with a slotted spoon and place on a baking sheet lined with paper towels in order to remove the excess fat. Store in a preheated oven at 190 ° F (about 90 ° C) for up to 15 minutes to keep the cod cakes warm. Serve cod cakes with lemon wedges or rosé sauce (recipe below).
- To prepare the rosé sauce: Mix all the ingredients together until the mixture is homogenous. Place in a ramekin and serve accompanying the cod cakes.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Mi Vida en un Dulce says
I love fish, and here in Lima is very easy to have fresh fish as we are near the ocean. I’m not so fan of “bacalao”, we used to eat it on Holly Friday, but is a little expensive as we don’t have that fish here and we have to import. But I found wonderful to have this way to eat.
Denise Browning says
Thanks, Nydia! Since you don’t eat codfish, you can still adapt this recipe replacing codfish for chicken for example. xx
Juliana says
Denise, bolinhos de bacalhau? I miss this so much…yours look great, like the idea of beating the egg whites before adding to the mixture of potatoes…I am sure that they will be lighter…
Thanks for sharing this recipe and nice meeting you.
Have a great week 🙂
Denise Browning says
Obrigada pela visita, Juliana!
It has been a while since I had bolinhos de bacalhau.
So when I made them and shared with my family, they were a hit– even my 5 year-old ate them and asked for more.
By the way, I love your Brazilian Inspired recipes. One of these I’ll try to make the chicken in mayonnaise. Tchau, querida!
Yasmeen @ Wandering Spice says
Gorgeous idea, Denise! We love fish cakes in this house (actually had salmon cakes for dinner last night) but as a big fan of cod I’d love to add this to our repertoire 🙂
Denise Browning says
Thanks, Yasmeen! I have missed you. It’s so good to have you back. I hope you have the opportunity to make these cod cakes one of these days. They are very popular in Brazil.
Purabi Naha says
Wow, your blog is my today’s best find. I would love to make this recipe, and I am sure it would taste great since you are a trained chef. I love cod, so it sounds like something I must try!
Denise Browning says
Thanks so much for your visit and kind words, Purabi!
Indian cuisine is one of my favorite cuisines.
You have a beautiful blog with mouthwatering recipes. I gotta try some one of these days. xx
Anne says
can these be made with fresh cod? unfortunately salted cod is not easy to find after the holidays in my town and if there is some,I’m not sure about the quality. these look delicious and I want my children to start eating more fish.
Denise Browning says
Hi, Anne! Thanks for stopping by and for your question as well.
Yes, these cod cakes can be made with fresh cod. Just make sure that you use skinned fillets that has been cooked and shredded. To cook the fresh fillets, simmer in salted water for about 7 minutes or until tender. Drain, let cool down enough to handle, and then use hands to shred it. Cooked cod is pretty easy to shred. If the fillets that you buy still comes with bones, please make sure to remove them all when fish is been shredded after cooked. I hope this help! Have a great weekend!!!
Maria says
Denise, I love your recipes and blog. I want to try these fish fritters using tilapia fillets. Do you have any suggestions on the spices to use? Gracias!
Denise Browning says
Thanks so much for your kind words, Maria! I am happy to find out that you like my blog and recipes. I hope you participate on our first giveaway.
You can certainly use cooked and shredded tilapia instead of codfish to make these fritters. Besides salt, both black and cayenne peppers, and nutmeg asked in the recipe, I would add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of garlic powder and maybe a pinch of cumin to the recipe. If you like spicy food, you can also add 1/2 to 1 tablespoon of minced jalapenos. If you make the fritters, please let me know how they turned out. Have a blessed week!!!
Julia | JuliasAlbum.com says
I agree with you, cod is such a great fish! I just discovered black cod a couple of months ago and I am in love with this fish. So buttery, so white. I don’t know if there is a difference between black cod and regular cod, but I loved black cod. These little cakes look so perfect for a cocktail party!
Denise Browning says
Julia:
Thanks for your comment!
Codfish and black cod are not from the same species. Actually, black cod got the “cod” name only for commercial purposes.
Although both are from sea water and tend to be white-fleshed , lean, and mild in flavor, black cod has a higher fat content than regular cod.
Since you are in love with black cod, you can use it in this recipe. Just make sure that its skin has been removed and it’s cooked and shredded.
Yes, these cakes are perfect for cocktail parties among other occasions. It was served in my wedding although the cakes were smaller than these ones.
Have a great weekend!!! xx
Jessica says
Oooh, you’re killing me with this one! Those look so crunchy, and delicious!!!
Denise Browning says
Thanks, Jessica!
My family loves these cakes — even my 5-year-old daughter ate and asked for more. 🙂
xx
Scott says
Everything about this looks and sounds fantastic!
Denise Browning says
Thanks so much, Scott!
They are a very popular appetizer in Brazil. I hope you have the opportunity to make them one of these days.
B S says
I really like the codfish cake/ball recipe. I would attempt to use it and some of the others on this page but, I do not have a computer handy to my kitchen. I would have to make too many trips back and forth to attempt it.
What would be nice is a print function on your page so I could make a hard copy to use in the kitchen.
P.S. If one of the “social media” links that you have on your page have a print function it will not work for me as I do not do “social media”!
I suppose I/You could e-mail the recipe to myself/me but, it would probably get lost in the clutter of e-mails that seem to find their way into my mailbox. It would be so much easier to print it from your page and I could file it in my recipe box.