Start early

This recipe is best prepared several days ahead of time. This is because the product you start with is (usually) dried cod, that needs to be reconstituted. A neighborhood supermarket offers these packages of dried fish. This is not really cod, but works well as a substitute (it actually is pollock, one of the most common fish families).

Bacalhau is Portuguese for cod, or Bacalao in Spanish.

Depending on your preference, you could go for fish only, but most croquetas you would get served in Portugal are half fish, half potato. 

Reconstituting the Fish

The preparations start by soaking the fillets in water or milk for at least 24 hours (48 hours would be better). Do not add any salt, as the dried fillets are usually already salted. After soaking, take the fillets out and shred the meat, taking out any bones it may (and will) contain. Rinse thoroughly to get rid of excess salt. 

If deciding for additional potato: peel and cut into pieces, boil in salted water and when done, let them cool down without a lid on the pan; this will make the potato nice and fluffy. Mash the potato.

Start a roux by melting butter and adding flour, gently cooking the flour for two minutes. Add milk until the roux has the right thickness. Now add the flaked fish (and mashed-up potato, if using) and stir well. Season with freshly ground pepper. Be very careful with salt for the reason mentioned previously. 

Shaping the Croquetas

After the mixture has been warmed all the way through, check the thickness. Once the mixture has cooled down, it should be possible to mold it, so be careful adding milk.

When you form the croquetas, they will warm up through the warmth of your hands - and the mixture will soften, making it harder to keep its shape. I put the mixture in the freezer for half an hour to really cool it down.

Take the mixture out of the freezer, make little balls (slightly smaller than a ping pong ball) and put back in the freezer for at least another 15 minutes. Make sure the little balls do not touch each other; otherwise they might stick together. Use greaseproof paper to separate them, if necessary.

The Messy Part

Now we arrive at the panné-ing process. This is when we coat the little balls with flour first, egg wash second and breadcrumbs last. There is no way to do this without your hands getting dirty, but this is how I do it: first roll the croquetas in the flour, making sure they are coated completely. Wash your hands if necessary.

Using your left hand, take the croquetas one at the time, roll through the egg wash (again making sure it is fully covered, pick up, let excess egg wash drip off and drop the croquetas in the breadcrumbs. Then, with your right hand, roll the croquetas through the breadcrumbs and take out. 

At this point, again put the croquetas in a container in the freezer for at least another 15 minutes, making sure they do not touch each other. 

You can follow the steps described above the day or days before you plan to serve this snack. If the croquetas have been in the freezer for hours or days, make sure you take them out and put them into the refrigerator about two hours before serving.

Deep-frying the Croquetas

The last step is the easiest: simply deep-fry the croquetas in vegetable oil at about 160° Celsius (320° Fahrenheit) until golden brown. Serve with some lemon slices or wedges. Enjoy!