HOT SALT COD FRITTERS WITH COLD SEAFOOD SALAD
These are actually two completely independent, separate recipes, but I so love the palate-searing, heavy hotness of the potato-fluffy fritters with the anise-clear coolness of the seafood salad that I had, quite bossily, to stick them together here.
SEAFOOD SALAD
Feel free to alter the relative amounts of seafood in this; indeed, play with it as you want to. Don’t think of making it just for some planned-for, guest-invited meal, though: nothing’s lovelier, in the summer (and beyond), than to have a huge, cold bowlful of this, standing in the fridge, for you to pick from when you want.
1 bottle white wine
4 bay leaves
8 black peppercorns
500g baby octopus
500g baby squid, sliced but tentacles left whole
500g medium raw prawns
125ml olive oil
juice of 2 lemons
2 red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
3 sticks celery, finely sliced
large bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
salt, if necessary
Make a stock to cook the seafood in by boiling the wine, bay leaves and peppercorns in a large saucepan.
Cook the octopus, squid and prawns separately in the stock as they will take different times to cook. It’s very hard to be specific about lengths of time, though; fish changes in density, relative tenderness and size, from catch to catch. But taste as you go, and fish them out with a slotted spoon as they are done, letting them cool in a bowl. The liquid will go quite murky but that’s to be expected, so don’t be alarmed.
Whisk together the oil and lemon juice, and add the finely chopped chillies. Pour this mixture over the cooled seafood and add the celery and chopped parsley, mixing everything together thoroughly. Check the seasoning and add salt if necessary. Add enough of the cooled stock to cover the salad so that it macerates completely covered in juice.
Keep in the fridge and let the flavours develop for at least a couple of hours; after a day, this will really come into its own, though. Spoon out excess liquid, if there is any, drizzle over a little more olive oil if you like, and sprinkle over a bit more chopped parsley.
Serves 6–8.
I can’t pretend these aren’t fiddly to make, but they aren’t hard. The most taxing thing really is that you have to remember to start soaking the salt cod 24 hours before you want to cook it, and you do have to change the water regularly (just pour out then replace the water every time you think of it, or about four times during the whole soaking period). A friend of mine once told me that the best way of soaking salt cod was by sitting it in the lavatory cistern, so that everytime someone flushes you get a change of water. I wanted to try this but the protestations in my household when I suggested it, were simply not worth putting up with. I can’t quite see the problem, though, since you’re hardly soaking the fish in the water from the lavatory bowl, but the fresh water kept in the cistern. Still, perhaps you’ll have more luck.
500g salt cod, soaked for 24 hours, changing the water regularly
500g maincrop potatoes, peeled and quartered
600ml milk
2 bay leaves
1 egg, beaten
4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
quarter onion, finely grated, to give about 2 tablespoons
1 clove garlic, finely grated
black pepper
sunflower oil for frying
Drain the salt cod and put it in a saucepan with the potatoes, covering both with the milk. Add the bay leaves and bring to the boil, cooking everything for 8–10 minutes, or until the salt cod’s tender, then lift it out. Let the potatoes cook for a further 20 minutes.
Let the cod cool slightly, until you can remove any bones without burning your fingers, then flake the fish into a bowl and beat it to threads with a fork or whisk, or even easier still, with the paddle attachment of a free-standing mixer. Drain the potatoes and add them to the fish, mashing them with the beater again. Or you can just push both through the coarse disc of a food mill.
Stir in the beaten egg, chopped parsley, grated onion, garlic and black pepper, adding a little of the poaching liquid to make a smooth mixture. Then shape, using two spoons, into quenelles or lozengey forms. Place these on baking sheets, lined with clingfilm (so they don’t stick), and sit them in the fridge to cool completely before you fry them. This helps them hold their shape.
Heat some oil in a frying pan to make a layer of about 1cm, and drop in the fritters a few at a time. Cook, turning as necessary, until golden on all sides, and drain on kitchen paper.
Makes about 20.