Pataniscas de Bacalhau: Portuguese Salt Cod Fritters Recipe
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Portugal is historically a nation of fishermen and explorers. Despite that history, or perhaps because of it, preserved fish is an integral part of Portuguese cuisine. It makes sense. Bacalhau is a delicacy that adds unique funky flavor to whatever you make with it, even pancakes.
The Portuguese have been cooking salt cod for centuries. Although there’s a wealth of fresh seafood in Portuguese waters, bacalhau somehow became the nation’s unofficial national protein. It’s used in countless dishes from fritters to casseroles. There’s practically nothing that the Portuguese haven’t tried with the wondrous delicacy.
Many Portuguese categorize pataniscas de bacalhau somewhere between a crêpe and a fritter, but we call them pancakes. When you eat pataniscas de bacalhau in Lisbon, you may find that they’re a little fluffier and less flat than our version. But we love our pataniscas. They’re brown and beautiful with plenty of tasty salt cod in every bite.
And while many Lisbon cooks choose to deep-fry their pataniscas, we fry ours in a cast iron skillet. We do this because we’re not fans of deep frying. It’s messy and requires about a half gallon of oil. Our pataniscas achieve a beautiful golden brown surface and crunch without all that oil.
🍽️ This Recipe at a Glance
- Main Ingredients: Salt cod, flour, milk and egg
- Flavorings: Onion, parsley, nutmeg, lemon and bay leaf
- Soaking Time: About 2 days, changing the water 3 to 4 times
- Cooking Time: About 1 hour
- Frying: About ½ inch of vegetable oil at 350°F/180°C, 3 to 4 minutes per side
- Servings: 4
- Calories: 268 per serving
- Flavor: Salty, funky cod with fresh parsley and a hint of nutmeg
- Texture: Crisp golden edges and tender, flaky centers
- Serve With: Arroz de feijão (i.e., rice and beans) or a green salad
- Best For: Christmas Eve spreads, petiscos with a cold beer or a weekday lunch
Ingredients
To make pataniscas de bacalhau, you need the following ingredients:
Ingredient quantities are detailed in the printable recipe card below.
How to Soak Salt Cod
Portugal’s bacalhau is called baccalà in Italian and bacalao in Spanish. Whatever you choose to call it, you should be able to easily find salt cod in Italian and gourmet specialty stores during the holiday season. However, you can buy separated loins online at any time of year. If you don’t buy loins, you can cut the fish from the center.
After you buy the bacalhau and are ready to make pataniscas, you need to soak the fish in your refrigerator for about two days. The key is to change the water at least three to four times until the fish begins to rehydrate and become less salty. You don’t want to totally soak out the salt from the fish or the bacalhau will lose its unique, funky flavor.
How To Make Pataniscas de Bacalhau
The first step in this recipe is to cook the bacalhau whole, with a bay leaf and parsley stems, in milk for 10 minutes. Cook the cod/milk mixture to just under a boil, decreasing the heat if the mixture gets too hot. You don’t want the mixture to boil over.
Once the mixture is cooked, remove the cod from the milk mixture. Strain the milk and set it aside for later.
Next, flake the cod by removing the flesh from the skin and bones, placing the flesh in a bowl as you remove it. Continue to tear the flesh until it reaches a flaky consistency.
Place the flour in a mixing bowl. Gradually pour in the strained milk until the two ingredients are incorporated. Add the parsley, egg, onion and salt cod to the mix. Add the nutmeg, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Stir the ingredients until they form into a loose batter.
Pouring Milk into Flour | Image 1 of 11: ©2foodtrippers 
Mixing the Flour and Milk | Image 2 of 11: ©2foodtrippers 
Adding Parsley | Image 3 of 11: ©2foodtrippers 
Adding Egg to the Batter | Image 4 of 11: ©2foodtrippers 
Adding Onions to the Batter | Image 5 of 11: ©2foodtrippers 
Adding Salt Cod to the Batter | Image 6 of 11: ©2foodtrippers 
Adding Nutmeg to the Batter | Image 7 of 11: ©2foodtrippers 
Adding Black Pepper to the Batter | Image 8 of 11: ©2foodtrippers 
Adding Salt to the Batter | Image 9 of 11: ©2foodtrippers 
Squeezing Lemon into the Batter | Image 10 of 11: ©2foodtrippers 
Mixing the Ingredients Together | Image 11 of 11: ©2foodtrippers
Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium heat until the oil reaches about 350°F/180°C.
Once the oil is heated, add the batter to the hot oil with a large spoon to form pancakes. Each pancake should be four to five inches (approximately 10 to 13 centimeters).
Cook each side of the pancakes until brown. This step should take about three to four minutes per side.
Remove the cod pancakes from the pan and place them on a large paper-towel-lined plate or a wire rack. Allow them to drain for a few minutes.
Garnish the pancakes with chopped fresh parsley and serve.
We like to eat pataniscas de bacalhau while they’re hot. However, it’s not uncommon for Portuguese cooks to serve pataniscas at room temperature. They taste great either way.
Bom apetite!
Pataniscas de Bacalhau Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound salt cod (from the loin, bone in, presoaked for about 2 days)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ cup flat-leaf parsley (finely chopped and stems set aside)
- 1/2 lemon (freshly squeezed)
- 1 medium onion (finely chopped)
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (grated fresh or ground)
- pepper (to taste)
- salt (to taste)
- vegetable oil (about 1/2 inch in a frying pan)
- 1 whole egg
- 1 cup whole milk
Equipment
Instructions
- Cook the whole cod fish with the bones, parsley stems and bay leaf in the milk over low heat until flaky, about 10 minutes.
- Once cooked, remove the cod fish from the milk. Set the milk aside and let it cool for about 10 minutes. Pull the cod fish from the bones and shred into small flakes.
- Pour the flour into a mixing bowl. Add the slightly cooled milk, parsley, egg, onion, cod fish, nutmeg, lemon juice, salt, pepper and stir until combined.
- Heat about a half inch of vegetable oil in a 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat until the oil reaches about 350°F/180°C. Once the oil is heated, use a large spoon to spoon out the mixture into the oil and form pancakes that are four to five inches in size. Cook the pancakes about 3 to 4 minutes per side until they're golden brown on both sides.
- Move the pancakes to a wire rack or a plate topped with a paper towel. Let them drain for a few minutes.
- Garnish with chopped parsley and serve.
Notes
- Presoak your salt cod for about 2 days, changing the water 3 to 4 times until the cod is pleasantly salty.
- Add more flour if you prefer slightly fluffier pataniscas.
- The nutrition is estimated using fresh haddock in place of soaked salt cod.
Nutrition
💡 Frequently Asked Questions
Pataniscas de bacalhau are thin Portuguese fritters made with flaked salt cod, flour, milk, egg, onion and parsley. Some cooks deep-fry them. We pan-fry ours in a cast iron skillet until they’re golden brown.
Pataniscas are most closely tied to Lisbon and the surrounding region, where they’re a fixture at tascas (i.e., casual taverns). Nobody has pinned down who fried up the first batch.
Our recipe calls for salt cod, all-purpose flour, whole milk, an egg, onion, flat-leaf parsley, a bay leaf, nutmeg, lemon, salt, pepper and vegetable oil for frying. Quantities are in the recipe card.
Pastéis de bacalhau (also called bolinhos de bacalhau) are deep-fried croquettes made with salt cod, mashed potato and egg. Pataniscas leave out the potato and use a flour batter, so they come out flatter and lighter.
We soak our bacalhau in the refrigerator for about two days and change the water three to four times. Taste a small flake before cooking. It should be pleasantly salty, not briny.
Yes, but you’ll lose the funky flavor that makes pataniscas special. Season the batter with more salt to make up for it.
In Lisbon, pataniscas usually come with arroz de feijão, a soupy rice cooked with beans. They also work as a starter with salad or as a petisco with a cold beer.
Yes. Portuguese cooks often serve pataniscas at room temperature. To bring back the crunch, reheat them on a wire rack in a 350°F/180°C oven for about 10 minutes.
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