Hilda's Salt Cod Fritters with Parsley Sauce

Ingredients

Fritters:
1 cup salt cod
Milk
Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
1 large baked potato
1 egg
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
2 tablespoons minced onion
1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
Up to 1 cup flour
1/2 tablespoon salt and 1/4 tablespoon white pepper
Parsley sauce:
1 tablespoon minced shallots
1 tablespoon minced garlic
3/4 cup finely-chopped parsley
1 tablespoon capers, chopped, with juice
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Instructions

Make fritters: 3 days ahead, cover salt cod with milk and soak, refrigerated, changing milk several times. Rinse cod under cold running water and flake.

Slowly heat oil in a deep-fryer to 360 degrees F while you prepare batter. Scrape out insides of baked potato into a mixing bowl and add salt cod, egg, parsley, onion, garlic, and baking powder. Mix it up and season with salt and pepper. Add enough flour to stiffen batter: it should be able to drop from spoon into hot grease. Test a few times before making many fritters at a time. Drop batter by spoonfuls into deep-fryer. With a long handled utensil, move them around as they fry. Drain on paper towels and serve with parsley sauce.

Make parsley sauce: In a small bowl combine all ingredients, taste and adjust seasonings.

Yield: About 15 Fritters