Bacalao Croquettas
2 pounds salt cod
2 pounds potatoes, weighed after they’re peeled
2 Tablespoons butter
4 cloves garlic
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
2 eggs separated
Flour (gluten-free) for dredging
salt and pepper, to taste
Soak the salt cod under refrigeration in water for 24-48 hours, changing the water
3-4 times per day until most of the salt has been discarded.
Boil the cod and potatoes until the potatoes are soft.
While the fish and potatoes are cooking, sauté the garlic in the butter.
Once the potatoes are soft, rice them. Crumble the cod. Reserve some of the poaching liquid. Mix the potatoes and cod. Season with salt and pepper. Add poaching liquid, if you need to thin out the mixture. (Later, you will need to fold stiff egg whites into the mixture.) Add the parsley and butter garlic mixture and mix well. Check for seasoning. Add salt and pepper, if necessary.
Separate the eggs. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
Add the egg yolks to the potato cod mixture and mix well. Gently fold in the stiff egg whites.
Form the mixture into small balls and dredge in flour that has been seasoned with salt and pepper. Fry until golden brown.
Note
These croquettas are great on their own, but you can certainly dress them up.
-You can serve brava sauce to dip them in.
-When I was a child, we ate these with rice and corn. Add a tablespoon of tomato paste to a can of creamed corn. Serve warm over rice.