CookEat Recipe
Golden Salt Cod Cutlets
Small crisp cutlets made from finely chopped poached salt cod, anchovies, Parmesan and softened bread, served with lemon.
Method
Steps
Step 1
Gather the ingredients: 500 g ready-desalted salt cod, drained weight; 2 whole salt-cured anchovies, rinsed, cleaned and filleted; 1 teaspoon finely chopped parsley; Black pepper; 35 g grated Parmesan; 25 g soft white bread crumb, crust removed; About 50 ml water for the bread, plus water for poaching; 10 g butter; 4 eggs: 2 for the mixture and 2 for coating; 150 g fine dry breadcrumbs; About 300 ml olive oil for frying, depending on the pan; 1 lemon, cut into wedges.
Step 2
Use ready-desalted salt cod; if starting with dried salted cod, carry out the supplier’s refrigerated cold-water desalting method beforehand and allow that additional time separately. Put the cod in cold water to cover and bring gently to the first boil. Check it reaches at least 70°C, extending at a gentle simmer only if needed. Drain, cool briefly enough to handle and carefully remove all bones.
Step 3
Simmer the soft white bread crumb with about 50 ml water and the butter for 3–5 minutes, stirring into a thick soft paste. Reduce until about 3–4 tablespoons remain, then let the strongest heat subside. Rinse the salt-cured anchovies, remove heads, entrails and backbones, and pat their fillets dry.
Step 4
Chop the cod, anchovy fillets and parsley extremely finely together. Mix with pepper, Parmesan, all the bread paste and 2 beaten eggs. The mixture should hold together softly; chill for about 15–20 minutes if it is too soft to shape.
Step 5
Beat the remaining 2 eggs in a shallow bowl. Drop spoonfuls of the mixture into the dry breadcrumbs, then flatten gently with your hands into 18–20 small cutlet shapes. Dip each into the beaten egg and coat in breadcrumbs again.
Step 6
Heat a shallow layer of olive oil to about 170–175°C in a wide heavy pan. Fry the cutlets in batches for about 3–4 minutes per side, until golden and at least 74°C inside. Drain and serve hot with lemon wedges.
Step 7
For the tomato-sauce alternative, omit the lemon and prepare this sauce while shaping the cutlets: combine 500 g chopped ripe tomatoes, 25 g finely chopped onion, 1 small chopped garlic clove, 15 g chopped celery, 2 basil leaves, 1 teaspoon chopped parsley, 1 tablespoon olive oil, a little salt and pepper in a saucepan. Start all the ingredients together and simmer for about 20–30 minutes until reduced to a loose creamy consistency, then pass through a sieve and serve hot beside the fried cutlets.
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