REGARDLESS of where I've been travelling, I always seem to eturn with a suitcase full of things edible. A trip to Macau is no exception and I recently returned from a weekend there with a side of bacalhau, a couple of litres of olive oil, a big tin of chorizos and boxes of little Macanese cookies.
Bacalhau, the dried and salted cod, is well worth bringing back as it is not so easy to find here and will keep in the fridge for many months. It can be prepared in a huge number of ways; check Spanish, Portuguese and French Provencal (where it is called morue) recipes. There are lots of little shops in Macau that sell Portuguese groceries. I usually head for Tin Une Mercearia, at 18 Travssa Do Soriano.
BACALHAU FISH CAKES Makes about six fish cakes 250g bacalhau 2 large potatoes, peeled 1 small onion, finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped Parsley, finely chopped 1 egg yolk Black pepper and cayenne 1 egg beaten Fresh breadcrumbs Olive oil for frying.
Soak the bacalhau in cold water for about 12 hours, changing the water three to four times. Poach the fish in gently simmering water for about 10 minutes, remove the skin, any bones and then finely flake the flesh. Boil the potatoes and mash them. Saute the onions and garlic in the olive oil until soft and translucent. Combine the bacalhau with the potatoes, onion, garlic, parsley, egg yolk and seasoning and shape into fish cakes.
Dip the fish cakes into the egg wash and coat with breadcrumbs. Allow to rest in the fridge for a couple of hours and then fry on both sides in hot olive oil until golden brown.
