Salted cod meatballs: the delicious recipe for a second dish based on fish

the dried cod rissol I am a second fish course tasty and easy to prepare, perfect for those who love cod-based recipes but able to conquer anyone’s palate. these tasty biteswith a crispy breading and tender heart, they are ideal for serving on festive occasions, for lunch and dinner, or even as an aperitif.

The protagonist of the preparation is the Cod this, unlike stockfish, becomes cod when preserved in salt before drying. To make the recipe, it is therefore desalted, soaked and mixed with the other ingredients. Finally, the meatballs are formed, which will be fried in a pan oh oven-baked.

It is a simple recipe, typical of southern Italian cuisine, with many variations on the theme. We offer both the classic version, to accompany a fresh salad, and the one with tomato sauce. In the latter case, serve it with slices of fresh bread: the turnover, in fact, is mandatory.

Find out how to make them delicious meatballs following the step-by-step procedure and, if you like the recipes with codalso try the fish ballsprepared with fresh cod, or the cod fritterswrapped in a delicious dough.

How to prepare cod meatballs

To prepare the cod meatballs, start by rinsing the cod well and removing the skin 1.

Also remove the bones and cut it into large pieces with a sharp knife 2.

Transfer it to the kitchen blender (3) and chop it.

At this point, take the bread, remove the outer crust and cut it into slices 4.

Put the breadcrumbs in a kitchen blender 5mix it up and transfer it to a large bowl.

Also chop the aromatic herbs with a knife 6 and the garlic, after having cleaned it and stripped it of its kernel.

In the bowl with the breadcrumbs, add the minced cod 7.

Also associate the aromatic herbs 8.

Also break the egg into the bowl 9.

Enrich the meatball dough with grated cheese ten.

Mix and season the dough with salt and pepper 11.

Mix everything well with a spatula until you get a smooth and homogeneous mixture (12).

With the mixture obtained, shape the meatballs with your hands: they must be the size of a walnut. 13.

Spoon plenty of breadcrumbs onto a flat plate and coat the meatballs in the breadcrumbs 14.

Once breaded, transfer them to a plate and set them aside 15.

At this point, prepare the oil for frying. Heat plenty of seed oil in a pan and wait for it to reach a temperature of 175°C, which is ideal for perfect frying 16.

If you don’t have a cooking thermometer, you can use thermometers alternative methods of oil temperature monitoring. For example, you can dip the handle of a wooden spoon into the pan: if many bubbles form, the temperature is correct 17.

At this point, dip the meatballs into the boiling oil, a few at a time 18and brown them well by frying them for a few minutes.

Drain them and place them on a plate with absorbent paper to remove the excess oil. 19.

Finally, season the surface with a pinch of salt and serve 20. The cod meatballs are ready to eat.

How to prepare cod meatballs with sauce

For the tomato variant, chop the onion and brown it in a pan with a drizzle of oil 20.

Pour the tomato puree 21salt and cook for ten minutes.

Add the cod meatballs to the sauce 22 and continue cooking for another 15 minutes.

Transfer the meatballs to a serving dish, top with a pepper mill and serve: the cod meatballs in the sauce are ready 23.

Tips

For a lighter variation, you can skip frying the meatballs and bake them in the oven: just place them on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper, drizzle them with oil and put them in the oven at 180°C for about 20 minutesor in any case until they are golden brown, taking care to turn them over halfway through cooking.

If you wish, you can make small changes to the base paste, for example, adding a few boiled potatoes then crushed or chopped vegetables. You can also replace the pecorino with parmesan, for a more delicate finish, and choose the aromatic herbs you prefer, such as thyme, chives or parsley. For a crispier breading, use the Panko instead of regular breadcrumbs.

You can also accompany the cod meatballs with a few Homemade mayonnaise.

storage room

Cod meatballs, like all fried foods, are ideal to be eaten hot and on the spot. If there are leftovers, you can keep them in the refrigeratorin a special airtight container, for 1-2 days at most. If you make the sauce version, you can keep them in fridgealways closed in an airtight container, to 2 days max: Reheat them in a frying pan or in the microwave before serving.