Salt cod croquettes with piri piri mayonnaise

Method

1. Roughly 24 hours before you want to start cooking, begin to desalinate the salt cod: rinse it under fresh running water to remove any salt crystals on its exterior, then place in a large bowl of cold water, cover and leave in the fridge. Change the water every few hours. It should be ready after about 24 hours – some cod is ready in just 8–12 hours, depending on its cure. To check whether it is ready, place a piece in a pan and cook it with a little water for a minute or two, then taste. It may be slightly salty, but shouldn’t be overwhelming.
2. When ready to cook, place the cod in a pan, cover with fresh water, bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the water and leave it to cool slightly. Once it is cool enough to handle, remove the skin, along with any bones or fins, then flake the flesh.
3. Cook the potatoes in salted boiling water for 10 minutes, or until tender to the point of a knife. Drain and mash straight away.
4. Place the cooked salt cod, the mashed potatoes, diced onion and crushed garlic in the bowl of a food processor and blitz briefly, just enough to combine.
5. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir in the beaten eggs and parsley.
6. Place a large deep pan over a high heat and fill it with about 6 cm of oil. Heat the oil until it reaches 175ºC on a pan thermometer, or if you don’t have one, use the bread test: once the oil is shimmering, drop in a cube of day-old bread. If the bread fizzes and browns in no less than 30 seconds, the oil is ready. (If it burns in that time, turn the heat down.)
7. Drop a small nugget of the batter into the hot oil and cook for a minute or so. Remove, cool, then taste to check the seasoning – the batter may need a little more salt. Also, if the croquette mixture is too loose, and the nugget doesn’t hold firm in the oil (or is less uniform in shape than you’d like), stir the tablespoon of flour into the batter to thicken it.
8. When ready to cook, use 2 spoons to shape the mixture into quenelles: take a scoop of the mixture with one spoon, then, with the other spoon in your other hand, gently turn the mixture between the 2 spoons, shaping it into an ovoid. Carefully lower 3 fritters into the oil and cook for 2½–3 minutes, until deep golden brown on the outside. (Don’t cook any more than 3 at a time, as this will crowd the pan and lower the temperature of the oil.)
9. Drain the cooked croquettes on paper towel while you cook the rest.
10. To serve, stir the piri piri sauce into the mayonnaise and serve it alongside the warm croquettes, with plenty of lemon wedges, too.