These crispy little beauties are easy to prepare and really delicious to munch on. So much better than just potato chips, more interesting than deep-fried fish and far superior to onion rings they make great appetizers, finger foods, side dishes… you name it!
Ingredients:
- 6 small cod fillets, skin off, scaled and de-boned
- ½ cup whole milk
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 – 5 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled
- 1 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- Zest of 2 lemons
- 2 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon dried chilis
- ¼ vidalia onion, finely chopped
- Sea salt (it will need a lot – about ½ teaspoon)
- freshly ground black pepper (again, a lot)
- 2 – 4 tablespoons plain flour
- vegetable oil for deep-frying
- lemons & tartar sauce or aioli to serve
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Cut the potatoes into quarters and cook in boiling salted water for about 10 – 15 minutes or until fork tender. Drain and mash in pan.
- Line a small baking pan with foil and cook the cod in the milk with the bay leaves for about 15 minutes. Flake cooked fish into a large bowl, picking out any remaining bones. Add the mashed potato, parsley, lemon zest, eggs, chilis, onion and salt and pepper and mix well. Add half of the flour and mix until it forms a thick paste – add more flour if needed.
- To make a quenelle scoop up some of potato-cod mixture with one tablespoon. Work it back and forth against another tablespoon to form a firm football shaped mass. Roll in flour if still too wet. Keep in the refrigerator until ready to cook.
- Pour enough oil into a large heavy-bottomed pot to fill the pan about a third of the way up. Heat over medium heat until a deep fry thermometer inserted into the oil reaches 360˚F. Deep-fry the fritters for about 5 minutes until brown and crispy. Drain on kitchen towel, sprinkle with sea salt and serve on a large plate with lemon halves and a bowl of tartar sauce or aioli.
After-Thoughts:
While S. and I just dove in and ate a plate of these with a light aioli dipping sauce I think they would be a great side dish. Something to replace boring baked or scalloped potatoes. Next to a delicious grilled steak these would totally hold their own while complimenting the main course at the same time.
Recipe Origin:
Based on both Christine Cushing’s and Jamie Oliver’s recipes