Salt Cod Cakes with Marie Rose Sauce (Bajan)

Although Barbados features these salt fish cakes as their specialty, I hardly see any difference with the recipe of the famous accras (salt cod fritters) from the Antilles, with the difference that the version from Barbados includes baking powder in the batter. These famous little fish cakes are really a specialty from the 4 corners of the Earth. In Spain and South America, the famous buñuelos are made with whitefish. In Portugal, bolinhos de bacalhau are similar in all respects to Barbadian salt fish cakes. Everyone knows about Asian tempuras! In Africa, the stuffing is often wrapped with dough like in the pastels from Cape Verde. Of course, depending on the country, the spices and the type of flour will be different. In the streets of one of the biggest cities in Barbados called Oistins, fish but even more so fish cakes are featured every Friday night. It is with loud music and a festive atmosphere that people enjoy these famous little fritters at “Oistin’s Friday Night Fish Fry.”

Salt Cod Cakes:
½ lb salt cod
2 cups all-purpose flour, unbleached
1 tsp. baking powder
2 eggs
1 shallot
2 scallions
2 cloves garlic
1 hot pepper
1 bunch parsley
½ cup milk, warm
sea salt

Marie Rose Sauce:
8 Tbsp. mayonnaise
3 Tbsp. ketchup
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
3 Tbsp. hot pepper sauce
2 Tbsp. Cognac or other brandy

Saltfish Cakes:
Cut salted cod into blocks and put them in a colander. Immerse the colander into a large container filled with water. Desalt for 24 hours, changing the water as often as possible.

Place the cod in a blender with the onion, garlic, shallot, hot pepper, and parsley.

Pour the mixture into the food processor bowl.

While mixing at low speed, add the flour, then the eggs one by one and finally add the milk slowly. Mix well.

Make dumplings with well-greased hands.

Deep fry the fish balls in a large oil bath until they are golden brown.

Place on dish lined with paper towel.

Marie Rose Sauce:
Mix the mayonnaise and ketchup. Add Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce and Cognac. Mix well.

Makes 6 servings.