The Armada Bacalao bombs and the White Sea
A classic Spanish tapa, can be served with roasted veg and salad as a dinner. They take a little bit of an effort to prepare but can be batched made and frozen! p.s I didn't know there was a White Sea (near Russia) until after I named this dish, so the geographical reference didn't count in this instance!
Makes around 20-25 bombs
Ingredients for the bombs
500g cod loin (boneless and skined – I use loin but fillet would work – just make sure you buy boneless/skinless and double check for bones)
700 ml whole milk
1 large potato around 200g; boiled and mashed with 2 tbsp whole milk
6-8 spring onions finely chopped
2 crushed garlic cloves
30g self raising flour
2 eggs separated, whites beaten to form peaks
1 tbsp chopped parsley
A litre of vegetable oil to cook
Ingredients for garlic mayonnaise
2 egg yolks
30 ml fresh lemon juice
1 crushed garlic clove
150ml sunflower oil
Method
1. Put fish in a dish and cover with the milk, and pop lid or tin foil on top to keep in moisture. Put in pre-heated oven at 180 fan for around 20-30 mins until the fish is cooked. Take fish out of milk and flake in to a large bowl.
2. Mix in potato, flour, spring onion, eggs yolks, parsley.
3. Carefully fold in the egg whites – it is this, with sr flour, that will make your bombs light and fluffy.
4. Heat oil in medium size pan – the oil should be up to about 1/3 high in the pan and heated on medium-high heat - it's the right temperature when you can drop a small bit of bread and it floats with bubbles around it, browning in around 2-3 mins.
5. Place around a heaped table spoon of the mixture in pan, I use half an ice cream scoop as the ice cream scoop method of dropping the mixture, that is batter like in consistency, works really well. You should be able to fit between 3-6 bombs in pan together.
6. Cook for 2-3 mins then flip them over, again cook for 2-3 mins, they should turn a light golden colour.
7. Remove with slatted spatula/spoon and place on a wire rack to alllow oil to drip of and crispyness to remain.
8. To make garlic sauce beat: egg yolk, garlic, lemon juice, in bowl with an electric beater. Slowly add a stream of oil continuously beating, you should find by the time the oil has all been added and beaten you will have a light yellow mayonnaise formed. To note the mayo is more runny than shop bought mayo.
Tips
You can freeze the bombs by placing them on a baking paper lined tray in freezer, once frozen click off tray and pop in container/bag. The mayo is best made before and refrigerated so it can be served cold. Cook little ones first then carefully mix salt (1/4 tsp) into the mixture before cooking grown-ups, the salt is def needed for the mature palate!
Facts
A Spanish classic tapa, also great as dinner with salad and/or roasted veg. Bacalao bunelos are normally made with salted cured cod, this version is adapted using fresh cod, so little one doesn't eat too much salt. Bunelos may be filled with a variety of things, sweet or savory. They can be round in ball shapes or disc shaped – these are disc shaped!
Makes around 20-25 bombs
Ingredients for the bombs
500g cod loin (boneless and skined – I use loin but fillet would work – just make sure you buy boneless/skinless and double check for bones)
700 ml whole milk
1 large potato around 200g; boiled and mashed with 2 tbsp whole milk
6-8 spring onions finely chopped
2 crushed garlic cloves
30g self raising flour
2 eggs separated, whites beaten to form peaks
1 tbsp chopped parsley
A litre of vegetable oil to cook
Ingredients for garlic mayonnaise
2 egg yolks
30 ml fresh lemon juice
1 crushed garlic clove
150ml sunflower oil
Method
1. Put fish in a dish and cover with the milk, and pop lid or tin foil on top to keep in moisture. Put in pre-heated oven at 180 fan for around 20-30 mins until the fish is cooked. Take fish out of milk and flake in to a large bowl.
2. Mix in potato, flour, spring onion, eggs yolks, parsley.
3. Carefully fold in the egg whites – it is this, with sr flour, that will make your bombs light and fluffy.
4. Heat oil in medium size pan – the oil should be up to about 1/3 high in the pan and heated on medium-high heat - it's the right temperature when you can drop a small bit of bread and it floats with bubbles around it, browning in around 2-3 mins.
5. Place around a heaped table spoon of the mixture in pan, I use half an ice cream scoop as the ice cream scoop method of dropping the mixture, that is batter like in consistency, works really well. You should be able to fit between 3-6 bombs in pan together.
6. Cook for 2-3 mins then flip them over, again cook for 2-3 mins, they should turn a light golden colour.
7. Remove with slatted spatula/spoon and place on a wire rack to alllow oil to drip of and crispyness to remain.
8. To make garlic sauce beat: egg yolk, garlic, lemon juice, in bowl with an electric beater. Slowly add a stream of oil continuously beating, you should find by the time the oil has all been added and beaten you will have a light yellow mayonnaise formed. To note the mayo is more runny than shop bought mayo.
Tips
You can freeze the bombs by placing them on a baking paper lined tray in freezer, once frozen click off tray and pop in container/bag. The mayo is best made before and refrigerated so it can be served cold. Cook little ones first then carefully mix salt (1/4 tsp) into the mixture before cooking grown-ups, the salt is def needed for the mature palate!
Facts
A Spanish classic tapa, also great as dinner with salad and/or roasted veg. Bacalao bunelos are normally made with salted cured cod, this version is adapted using fresh cod, so little one doesn't eat too much salt. Bunelos may be filled with a variety of things, sweet or savory. They can be round in ball shapes or disc shaped – these are disc shaped!