Outdoors Unlimited ISP

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Portuguese Codfish Balls

2 lb fresh codfish (If using salt cod, soak overnight, changing water at least twice.)

2 lb potatoes

1 large onion

4 large eggs

1 TB dried parsley (or more!) If you have fresh, use it!

1 TS dried crushed red pepper

1 TB garlic powder

Salt to taste

Method: Slowly simmer codfish for 15 minutes. (This makes it easier to skin and bone.) Remove from the water (Save the water!) and let it cool, until cool enough to handle.

While the cod is cooling, bring your "cod water" back to a boil and boil the potatoes (unpeeled!) until done.

While waiting for the potatoes to cook, skin and bone the cod. (This takes a long time so the potatoes will probably be done when you are in the middle of skinning/boning. If so, just remove them from the heat, and run cold tap water into the pot until the water is cold.

Mince the cod and set aside. Peel the potatoes and mash. Mince the onions and sauté in oil. (Make sure the cod is dry. It should look like a mass of tiny threads, without water running from it.)

In a large pot or mixing bowl, add the cod, potatoes, onion, parsley, crushed red pepper, and garlic powder. Now adjust the salt to your taste level. (If you used salt cod, be careful not to add too much salt, if any, at first!) At this point, the mixture should be very stiff and difficult to blend. Add the eggs, one at a time until the mixture is workable, but not too loose. Four large eggs were sufficient, but you may need to add more or less, depending on egg size. Roll small balls (about the size of a golf ball) with your hands and drop them in hot oil. Fry until golden brown.

Yield: About 50 codfish balls.

This recipe is a lot of work to make, but the result makes it worthwhile. The balls disappear fast, so you may want to double or triple the recipe! Enjoy!