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Pastéis de Bacalhau (Portuguese Salt Cod Fritters)
Quenelles of shredded salt cod, mashed potato, egg, onion and parsley shaped between two spoons and deep-fried golden, crisp outside and soft within.
Portuguese · medium · serves 6
prep 40 min · cook 40 min · plus 1 day hands-off time
~275 cal · 17g protein · 18g carbs · 15g fat · 3g fiber · 2g sugars · 3g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Pastéis de bacalhau, called bolinhos de bacalhau in the north, are the fritter that every Portuguese café counter, wedding buffet and family party puts out. They are made from bacalhau, dried salt cod, the fish Portugal has eaten for centuries and still buys in quantities no other country comes close to, soaked for a day or two in changes of cold water until it is plump and only pleasantly salty.
The cod is poached, picked from its skin and bones and then rubbed in a cloth until it breaks into fine threads. It is beaten with dry mashed potato, raw onion, plenty of parsley and eggs, sometimes with a little garlic or nutmeg, into a firm paste that is shaped into little three-sided ovals by passing it back and forth between two spoons. They are fried in hot oil until golden, and they should be crisp outside, soft and creamy inside.
They are eaten hot or cold, as a petisco with a glass of wine, packed for a picnic, or as a meal with tomato rice or a black-eyed bean salad.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally gluten-, dairy-, nut- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 6
- 400 g dried salt cod (bacalhau), thick pieces, soaked 24 to 48 hours in the fridge in cold water changed 3 or 4 times
- 500 g floury potatoes
- 1 small onion, very finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped, optional
- 1/2 bunch (about 25 g) flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 3 eggs
- a pinch nutmeg, freshly grated
- to taste black pepper
- to taste salt
- 1 l sunflower or olive oil, for deep-frying
- 1 lemon lemon wedges, to serve
Instructions
- 1Soak the salt cod in plenty of cold water in the fridge for 24 to 48 hours, changing the water 3 or 4 times, until a flake tastes only mildly salty.
- 2Poach the cod in simmering water for about 10 minutes, drain and let it cool. Remove all skin and bones, then wrap the flesh in a clean cloth and rub and press it until it breaks into fine threads.✎ Chef’s noteRubbing the cod in a cloth, rather than chopping it, gives the fritters their fine, fibrous texture.
- 3Boil the potatoes in unsalted water for 20 to 25 minutes until tender, drain well and mash them dry with no liquid added.
- 4Mix the potato, cod, onion, garlic if using, parsley, nutmeg and pepper. Beat in the eggs one at a time until the mixture is firm and holds its shape. Taste, and add salt only if needed.
- 5Heat the oil in a deep pan to 175C (350F). With two tablespoons dipped in oil, pass a spoonful of the mixture from one spoon to the other two or three times to make a neat three-sided oval.
- 6Fry a few at a time for 3 to 4 minutes, turning, until evenly golden. Drain on paper and serve hot or at room temperature with lemon wedges.
Portuguese home and café tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Lisbon. Lisbon queues daily for pasteis de nata, custard tarts blistered dark in fierce ovens. The wider city kitchen runs on salt cod cooked a hundred ways, grilled sardines in summer, olive oil, coriander, and slow-cooked pork and clam dishes.
🗺️
Portugal. Two things follow the ships home. The pastel de nata came out of the Jeronimos monastery at Belem and went commercial in 1837, and only the Belem shop's version may be called pastel de Belem. Piri-piri is a round trip: American chillies planted in Mozambique and Angola, then brought back as a Portuguese seasoning.
🌍
Europe. A surprising amount of European cooking is under five hundred years old. Tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, maize, beans and chocolate all crossed from the Americas after 1492, and none of them was trusted quickly: the potato took most of the eighteenth century to be accepted as food rather than animal fodder across much of the north.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Portugal
Pastéis de NataBlistered puff-pastry cups filled with silky cinnamon-scented custard, Lisbon’s daily miracle, best warm.
Bacalhau à BrásShredded salt cod tangled with straw-thin fried potatoes and softly scrambled egg, dotted with olives.
Torrada com GalãoThick toasted bread drenched in butter, served with a tall glass of milky galão coffee.
Browse all Portugal recipes →
Good to know
Storing it: Fried food is best eaten fresh while crisp. Re-crisp leftovers in a hot oven or air fryer; the microwave makes them soft.
Make it a Portugal meal
GinjinhaDrink
Pastéis de NataDessert
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Cuisine
Diet
Frequently asked questions
What is Pastéis de Bacalhau (Portuguese Salt Cod Fritters)?
Quenelles of shredded salt cod, mashed potato, egg, onion and parsley shaped between two spoons and deep-fried golden, crisp outside and soft within.
Where does Pastéis de Bacalhau (Portuguese Salt Cod Fritters) come from?
Pastéis de Bacalhau (Portuguese Salt Cod Fritters) is a Portuguese dish from Lisbon, Portugal.
Can Pastéis de Bacalhau (Portuguese Salt Cod Fritters) be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Pastéis de Bacalhau (Portuguese Salt Cod Fritters) recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions. Treat the substitutions as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Pastéis de Bacalhau (Portuguese Salt Cod Fritters) safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we still count coconut as a tree nut to be cautious, although the FDA stopped listing it as one in 2025), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Pastéis de Bacalhau (Portuguese Salt Cod Fritters) take to make?
About 1 day in all: 40 minutes prep and 40 minutes cooking, plus 1 day of hands-off waiting the method needs, serving 6.
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