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Portuguese

Bolinhos de bacalhau

Non-vegetarian

Light, oval fritters of flaked salt cod, mashed potato, onion and parsley, deep-fried until golden. A staple of Portuguese snack bars and parties.

Bolinhos de bacalhau is a Portuguese finger food from Portugal, ready in about 1 hour 5 minutes and made with cod and potato. It serves 6 and is rated intermediate to cook.

Start cooking
Golden fried Portuguese salt cod fritters on a tray
Photo: Eduardo P / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-3.0
Prep
30 min
Cook
35 min
Total
1 h 5 min
Serves
6
Level
Intermediate
Calories
266

Plus 24–48 hours soaking if using dried salt cod.

Ingredients

6 servings (about 30 fritters)

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Poach the soaked cod (opens in a new tab) in simmering water for 10 minutes. Drain, cool, remove skin and bones and shred very finely with your fingers or a fork.

  2. Step 2

    Mash the potatoes (opens in a new tab) thoroughly and mix with the cod (opens in a new tab), onion (opens in a new tab), parsley (opens in a new tab), pepper (opens in a new tab) and nutmeg (opens in a new tab). Beat in the eggs (opens in a new tab) one at a time to make a firm mixture; taste and add salt only if needed.

    • 8 min
    Potatoes being mashed
    How it looks · Photo: Mateusz Feliksik on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Shape into quenelles between two tablespoons.

    • 10 min

  4. Step 4

    Deep-fry in batches in oil at 175 °C, turning, until golden all over. Drain on paper and serve warm or at room temperature with lemon (opens in a new tab).

    Food safety: Fill the pan no more than a third with oil and never leave it unattended.

    Food deep-frying in hot oil
    How it looks · Photo: Riya Roy on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Portugal · Well documentedAlso popular in BrazilMore food from Portugal
Dish
Snack · Lunch · Finger food · Appetizers & starters
Cooking method
Boiled, Deep-fried
Taste
savoury, salty, herby
Diet
Pescatarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb · High-protein
All labelsPescatarian · Non-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · High-protein · DASH-style · Calorie-conscious
With the listed swaps: Whole-food focused, Paleo-styleWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead · Festive & celebration · Portable / lunchbox
Cook more with
Cod · Potato · Onion · Parsley · Egg · Nutmeg
Techniques
Deep-frying · Boiling · Simmering · Poaching · Plating

Allergens

  • Contains: Eggsfrom egg
  • Contains: Fishfrom cod

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

266 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 192 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 24%
  • Carbohydrate 24%
  • Fat 52%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy266 kcal138 kcal
Protein15.9 g8.3 g
Carbohydrate15.8 g8.2 g
Net carbohydrate13.8 g7.2 g
Sugars1.2 g0.6 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre2 g1.1 g
Fat15.5 g8 g
Saturated fat1.6 g0.8 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol91 mg47 mg
Sodium261 mg136 mg
Salt equivalent0.7 g0.3 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
682 mg
Calcium
37 mg
Iron
1.4 mg
Magnesium
45 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
45 µg
Vitamin C
21 mg
Vitamin D
0.9 µg
Vitamin B12
0.8 µg
Folate (DFE)
31 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: lemon.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Shred the cod as finely as possible – lumpy cod makes the fritters split in the oil.

Serve with

  • Serve with a tomato and onion salad, rice or as part of a petiscos spread.

Storage

  • Keep 3 days refrigerated; freeze shaped, uncooked fritters.

Reheating

  • Reheat in a 200 °C oven for 8 minutes.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

  • Cod, soaked, desalted salt cod (weight after soaking)400 g
  • Potato, floury, boiled in their skins and peeled500 g
  • Egg2 piece · 100 g
Used in steps 1, 2

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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