Salt Cod Fritters | Buñuelos de Bacalao

Traditional buñuelos used to be sweet and were commonly sold in bakeries at Easter time. With time, more developed recipes have arisen to bring us buñuelos made with savoury ingredients, such as cod (bacalao), cheese or even chard. These salt cod and cheese versions – both pictured here – are totally different; I urge you to try them both as they are seriously good.

INGREDIENTS

• 125g boneless and skinless dried salt cod

• 2 potatoes

• 200g fresh cod

• 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives

• 1 garlic clove, crushed

• 1 whole egg

• 1 egg yolk

• sunflower oil, For deep­ frying

• alioli or romesco sauce to serve

METHOD

First, to rehydrate the salt cod, put it in a container and pour in enough cold water to cover. Leave overnight and change the water at least twice to extract as much salt as possible from the cod.

When you are ready to start cooking, peel and cut the potatoes into 1-cm thick slices. Boil in unsalted water over a medium heat for about 15 minutes, or until cooked through. Drain and allow to dry.

Finely chop both the rehydrated salt cod and the fresh cod, removing any bones you find. Mix with the chives and garlic by hand or using a blender or food processor. Add the egg, egg yolk and boiled potatoes and mash together. Set aside for at least 10 minutes while you heat the oil. Depending on the potato and the size of your eggs, the mixture could be a bit loose. If so, add 1 Tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour and it should be better.

Pour enough oil into a deep pan to cover the base by about 3cm. Heat until a cube of day-old bread dropped into the oil turns golden in about 30 seconds. Alternatively, heat a deep fryer to 180°C.

Pour tablespoonfuls of the mixture into the hot oil and fry until they float and turn light golden, up to 2 minutes. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper while you finish the fritters. Serve with Alioli or Romesco Sauce.