Salt cod and potato cakes

Salt cod is some thing that you cannot get in the UK that easily and I do not know why. My guess is that you have to soak it over night and was the salt out and any number of things so people do not bother with it, but you should its great. This is a simple fish cake that you can make; it takes a little planning, as you have to get your cod out and soak it over night but apart from that it is just a fish cake.

You will need,

500g/1lb 2oz salt cod, soaked overnight and rinsed thoroughly several times
500ml/17½fl oz full-fat milk
2 bay leaves
400g/14oz potatoes like King Edward or Maris Piper
Freshly ground black pepper to taste, NO SALT, you will get that from the cod
Flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Olive oil

Get your salt cod and soak it over night, drain the water off this and then wash it a few time to get rid of any excess salt. Then poach it in milk with a couple of bay leaves until fully cooked. Take the fish out of the milk, remove any skin and bones flake the fish up, and let it cool.

Now take your potatoes peal, dice them, and boil them so you can mash them. Darin of as much of the water as possible then mash them with a little milk from the poaching liquid, olive oil and fresh ground black pepper.

Now simply fold in the cod flakes in to the potato add a good handful of chopped parsley and bind it all together. Now form your fish cakes and then chill them before you cook them.

To cook them just add a little oil to a frying pan and cook them like that get them nice and brown on one side then turn and cook the other . Serve them on a bed of salad leaves with a slice of lemon .