Salted Cod at 50p... What to do with it?

This is a traditional dish from Portugal where it is called Bacalhau. It is from the days before refrigeration so they could keep the fishing catches long enough to eat them. They sell in in the supermarkets there and very smelly it is too! I have heard that they soak it overnight in slightly running water or keep changing the water anyway whilst soaking to make it edible as it is very very salty. They make it into all sorts of dishes that we would use fresh fish but I haven't got a recipe. Just be aware that it will be salty so obviously don't use any salt in the dish and perhaps use it in something spicy so that the taste is disguised! Good luck.

Caribbean fish cakes are what you need to make....if you like your food spicy that is. This is my soon to be ex-mother-in-law's way of doing it, fattening but lovely as a treat once in a while and oh so delicious, I'm hungry just thinking of them!!

INGREDIENTS:
Saltfish
Water from cooking the saltfish
Plain flour
1 egg
spring onions
half a normal onion
chillies (scotch bonnet) or caribbean pepper sauce


Put the saltfish (with it's skin on) in cold water in a big pan, bring to the boil, simmer for about 10 minutes, change the water and repeat a couple of times. On the say, 3rd time, DON'T THROW AWAY THE WATER.

Take the fish out and, wearing gloves, shred the fish, taking off the slimy yukky skin and bones. Add about 3 smallish chopped spring onions, half a finely chopped onion, some finely chopped chillies or pepper sauce, some plain flour and mix to a thick pancake batter with some drained water from the fish. Then add an egg and put in the fridge for a while to settle.

Heat some oil in a pan, not deep fat frying, just shallowish, and put a spoonful of the batter into the oil, flatten a bit and cook until golden on both sides. Drain off on kitchen paper and taste. You will probably need more chillies - mine always start off weak and then get hotter and hotter....just the way I like 'em!!

Keep on cooking and tasting for quality control. Eat with bread, more chilli sauce if you can handle it and don't think about your waistline....

Kittikins