This traditional Portuguese appetizer gets a modern twist by utilizing low-carb ingredients and the oven instead of the fryer. These updated Bolinhos de Bacalhau were created to be keto-friendly without sacrificing flavor. My Portuguese husband gladly volunteered to help me taste test along the way, and gave this final version his approval!
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What are Bolinhos de Bacalhau?
Cod fritters. Traditionally made with mashed potatoes and fried until golden brown. They are one of the most common appetizers in Portugal and they are delicious.
Traditionally, they do not have chouriço or cheese. However, I added these in just to make them more keto-friendly. Plus, the chouriço helps pump up the flavor while the cheese helps the non-potato ingredients stick together better. Although non-traditional, they are common ingredients in Portugal.
Preparing the Cod
This is something that used to be intimidating to me, but it's really not that bad. The biggest hurdle is remembering to start soaking the cod at least 24-48 hours ahead of time. Honestly, I almost never make the 48-hour mark. So instead, I just use smaller pieces of cod and just change the water more often. I bought strips of fish instead of one big massive steak of fish, and that cuts down the soaking time considerably. I also change the water several times during the day. To summarize:
- Buy the fish. They sell salted cod at my local grocery store, in the seafood section near the smoked salmon. You're going to shred the fish in the end, so the size of the pieces don't really matter. Smaller pieces take less time to soak, so the smaller the pieces the better.
- About 24-48 hours ahead of time, rinse the fish in running water to get as much salt off as possible. Then, place the fish in a large bowl of water and put it in the fridge.
- Change the water at least a couple times. If you are only soaking for 24 hours, change the water every several hours. If you are soaking for 48 hours, change the water a couple times a day. If you're brave enough (my husband is, I am not), you can taste a small piece of the cod to see how salty it is.
- When you're ready to start making your dish, drain the water. You're ready to go!
After making the bolinhos I had some extra cod leftover, so I used it the next day to make Bacalhau & Chouriço Quiche for brunch! 🙂
Testing Different Ingredients
To find the perfect low-carb bolinho, we tested several different ingredients.
- Hummus
- Cauliflower
- Pumpkin (canned)
- Almond flour
The Results
To our delight, three out of the four turned out great! The only one we didn't like was the almond flour. Although I had tried to add more oil to keep it moist, they still came out too dry and stringy. All three of the others tasted great, and we had a hard time determining which was our favorite.
- Hummus: creamy, very distinct hummus flavor (which comes from the tahini in the hummus), a bit too oily. Therefore, when using hummus that has a decent amount of tahini in it, I suggest using less olive oil.
- Cauliflower: neutral flavor, soft, the least amount of carbs. Because of this, we determined this to be our winner and the recipe card below uses cauliflower.
- Pumpkin: neutral flavor, creamy. My husband was skeptical of pumpkin, assuming it would have a very pumpkin-y flavor, but actually it was quite neutral. As the chef, these were actually my favorite since they were easier to make because I didn't have to cook the pumpkin. I just opened the can of pumpkin puree and it was ready! Skipping a step was a big bonus for me.
- Almond flour: would not recommend. Way too dry and stringy.
If you have any extra cod leftover, use it the next day to make Bacalhau & Chouriço Quiche for brunch!
For more Portuguese-inspired low-carb dishes, click here.
📖 Recipe
Keto Bolinhos de Bacalhau (Cod Fritters)
Ingredients
- 8 oz bacalhau ( salted cod)
- 3 oz chouriço (or chorizo)
- 1 medium onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 cup cauliflower (or pumpkin or hummus)
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup shredded cheese (I used an Italian Blend of Parmesan, Asiago, Fontina and Romano)
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- salt and pepper (optional)
Instructions
- Salted cod needs to soak in a large bowl of water for at least 24 hours, changing the water several times during that period. A large chunk of cod may need to soak longer (at least 48 hours). For more detailed instructions, refer to the blog post above.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Get out a large sheet pan and grease the pan with olive oil.
- Once the cod has been rehydrated, boil in water for 20 minutes, or until soft (it needs to be soft enough to shred). Then, remove the bones and skin and use two forks (or your hands) to shred the meat.
- Chop the chouriço and onion into very small pieces (about quarter inch / half centimeter) and mince the garlic. In a medium skillet add the chouriço, onion, garlic and olive oil and sauté over medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- To cook the cauliflower: first you need to steam it for about 5-10 minutes, until soft. This can be done on the stove or in the microwave. Drain the water. While the cauliflower is still hot and soft, use a fork to squish/smash the cauliflower as much as possible. Then, to get rid of as much moisture as possible, cook for another few minutes, uncovered to let the steam out, until the cauliflower is more dry. (Hint: you can skip this step if you're using pumpkin or hummus, see "notes")
- In a large bowl, add the shredded cod, cauliflower, chouriço mixture, raw eggs, chopped parsley and shredded cheese. Mix until all ingredients are well blended (I usually use my hands for this but you could use a large fork instead). Adding salt and pepper is optional, since the cod and chouriço already have salt and other flavors in them.
- Using two soup spoons, use the "quenelle" technique to create the football-shape of each fritter. You can do a quick YouTube search if you aren't sure how to do it. Alternatively, you can just make the rough shape using one spoon and/or your hands.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes at 350°F (175°C), or until golden brown. You can put it on broil for the last few minutes, but watch carefully so they don't burn!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is estimated. Amounts may vary depending on the specific brand and/or type of ingredients you use. Sugar alcohols and other sweeteners that typically do not effect blood glucose levels, including but not limited to erythritol and allulose, are excluded from the carb count.
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