There are dishes that smell like holidays and grandma’s kitchen. Pastéis de bacalhau are exactly that. These little golden cod croquettes, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, are at once an appetiser, a madeleine of Proust, and proof that Portugal has completely mastered the art of frying.

The ingredients of nostalgia (and of the recipe)

• 400 g of desalted cod (the real one, mind you, not the pre-mixed stuff in a tin)
• 400 g of potatoes
• 3 eggs
• 1 small onion
• 2 tablespoons of freshly chopped parsley
• A pinch of nutmeg (the “granny knew best” touch)
• Black pepper
• Oil for frying

Preparation of the kitchen of the heart (and a bit of oil)

1. Let’s start with the basics: cook the cod for about ten minutes, just enough so it flakes without falling apart.
2. Next come the potatoes: boil them in water, then mash them. Yes, it takes a bit of time, but that’s the secret to the fluffiness.
3. A happy marriage: mix the mashed potatoes with the flaked cod. Add the chopped onion, parsley, nutmeg and pepper. Taste it. Smile. It already smells like a Sunday lunch at your Portuguese aunt’s house.
4. The eggs take the stage: one by one, to get a dough that’s firm but tender (like your first summer love in Nazaré).
5. And now, the golden moment: shape the croquettes with two spoons and drop them into the hot oil. Watch them turn golden, listen to the sizzling… It’s the sound of happiness.

The memory that sticks to your fingers

At my house, pastéis de bacalhau are mostly the scent of Portuguese summers. The cool tiled floor under your feet, the TV crackling in the background, and my grandmother always saying, as a drop of oil fell onto her apron:

“If you don’t make enough, it’s because you don’t have enough love.”

Serve with a glass of chilled vinho verde, a long lazy conversation, and the sweet thought that, deep down, everything’s fine as long as there’s cod in the kitchen.

Cooking is… golden, crispy and slightly nostalgic.

L.R.