Maritime
Codfish Cakes and Bacon
Aida Boyer McAnn — The New Brunswick Cook Book (1938)Salt cod combined with mashed potato, egg, and milk — rested overnight, then moulded into cakes and fried in bacon fat, served alongside crisp bacon. A quintessential Maritime breakfast and one of New Brunswick's most beloved traditional dishes.
Ingredients
- 2 cups salt codfish
- 2 cups hot mashed potatoes
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 egg
- 1 cup milk
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- Bacon (2 strips per person)
Instructions
- Soak the cod in cold water for several hours. Drain, cover with fresh cold water, and simmer until tender. Drain, remove bones, and chop.
- Combine all ingredients except the bacon and mix well, beating until light. Cover and let stand for several hours, preferably overnight.
- In the morning, mould the cakes about half an inch thick — not too thick or they take too long to heat through.
- Fry 2 strips of bacon per person. Drain on unglazed paper in a warm place.
- Fry the fish cakes in the bacon fat until golden. Serve with the crisp bacon.