Cassava & Salt Fish Patties

Ever since I have realized that I can remove the salt from salt fish without boiling it, I always have a little container of the stuff in the fridge – to cook with vegetables, ground provisions, rice, potatoes or just on its own.

Fridays are generally very long for me. It is a day that I do not cook but there is always something left over from during the week that I can quickly heat up or put together; that’s how these patties came about. In the refrigerator I had a container with boiled cassava and then another container with de-salted salt fish. I thought of frying (sautéing) the two together but that did not sound appealing and it felt too much like a meal. I was more in the mood for something snack like, so I decided to marry the two ingredients in a manner befitting a snack that can be doused with pepper sauce or topped with mango sour.

I made the patties with what was available to me so the measurements/quantities of the ingredients are approximate. What I can tell you is to ensure that you have an equal volume of both ingredients. For example, 1 cup mashed cassava 1 cup flaked salt fish. This patty is not scarce or shy on the fish.

Another key thing is to season the mixture well by cooking the aromatics on low heat until softened.

To fry these patties, do not use a lot of oil at one time, drizzle in enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan and then add just a little more oil for each batch, again, just enough to coat the bottom of the pan.

Here is what I had and how I made mine.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tablespoons oil
• Minced onions, garlic, thyme, celery and hot peppers
• 3 cups mashed cassava
• 3 cups frizzled salt fish
• Thinly sliced scallions (white/purple and green parts)

DIRECTIONS

1. Add oil to a pan and place over medium heat until hot. Cook the onions, garlic, thyme, celery and pepper, along with salt to taste, until softened (you will need to reduce the heat to low).
2. Mix together the sautéed aromatics with the cassava, salt fish and scallions until well incorporated.
3. Rub a little oil on your hands and take a little of the mixture at a time, form into balls and then flatten between the palm of your hands to make patties.
4. Add oil to just cover the surface of a frying pan and place over medium heat. When hot, fry the patties in batches and drain on paper towels. Remember to add a little oil between each batch when cooking.
5. Serve hot or at room temperature.

NOTES

• To de-salt the salt fish – put salt fish in a bowl with cold tap water and soak overnight or for 12 – 15 hours changing the water about 3 times. Just before using it in the recipe, steep in boiling water for 5 minutes and drain well.
• A food processor makes quick work of shredding the salt fish.
• I did not need to add salt to the patties because my cassava was cooked in boiling salted water and the salt fish retained just enough salt to taste. However, taste the mixture and add salt if necessary.