Recipe: Spanish-style Fish Croquettes

MANILA, Philippines — Croquetas de Bacalao or Salted Codfish Croquettes are mini bites of mashed potato filled with dried salted codfish.

It is a Spanish appetizer that fits the Filipino palate perfectly. Chef Miguel de Alba of the iconic Alba Restorante Español gave it his own take when he served as guest chef of The Maya Kitchen.

Chef Miguel demonstrated how to make Croquetas de Bacalao, along with several other Spanish dishes, exceptionally delicious and true to its original form yet a lot easier to prepare this time.

Ingredients:

For the Croquetas:

500 grams potatoes, peeled and quartered 

200 grams prepared Bacalao (dried salted codfish), chopped

2 tsps. chopped garlic

2 tbsps. chopped parsley

2 tbsps. almond flakes

1/4 cup butter, softened

Ground white pepper, to taste

Flour

Egg, beaten

Bread crumbs

Oil for deep-frying

For the sauce:

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. chopped garlic

1/2 cup canned red pimientos, chopped

1 can tomatoes, peeled and pureed

1 tsp. chopped basil (optional)

Salt and pepper, to taste

Procedure:

1. Boil potatoes in lightly salted water until tender.

2. Coarsely mash potatoes together with the Bacalao, garlic, parsley, almonds, butter and pepper.

3. Form mixture into balls and roll in flour.

4. Dip in beaten eggs then coat with bread crumbs. Chill for 1 to 2 hours.

5. In hot oil, deep-fry croquettes in batches until golden brown. Remove from oil and drain off excess oil on paper towel.

6. To prepare the sauce, sauté garlic in olive oil. Add pimientos and tomatoes. Let simmer for 6 to 8 minutes. Add basil. Season with salt and pepper.

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