Fish fofos

Name: Fish fofos
Prep time: 13 min
Cook time: 24 min
Total time: 37 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Portuguese
Ingredients: 600g Haddock; 300g Potatoes; 1 chopped Green Chilli; 3 tbs Coriander; 1 tsp Cumin Seeds; 1/2 tsp Pepper; 3 cloves Garlic; 2 pieces Ginger; 2 tbs Flour; 3 Eggs; 75g Breadcrumbs; For frying Vegetable Oil

By The Spice & Simmer Kitchen · Published May 3, 2026

A one-pot Seafood recipe with Portuguese flavors, built for busy weeknights when you want real food without a sink full of dishes. Comes together in roughly 61 minutes, serves about 4, and uses ingredients you can find at any normal grocery store. The technique is simple: build a base in your pot, layer in the main ingredients, simmer until everything has had time to talk to each other, and serve straight from the pan. If you're cooking for picky eaters, this one tends to land — the flavors are recognizable, the texture is comforting, and there's nothing weird hiding in the ingredient list. Perfect for the kind of evening where you want dinner on the table by 7pm and the kitchen empty by 7:30.

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings · 37 min total

600g Haddock
300g Potatoes
1 chopped Green Chilli
3 tbs Coriander
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
1/2 tsp Pepper
3 cloves Garlic
2 pieces Ginger
2 tbs Flour
3 Eggs
75g Breadcrumbs
For frying Vegetable Oil

Step-by-step instructions

STEP 1.
Put the fish into a lidded pan and pour over enough water to cover. Bring to a simmer and gently poach for 10 minutes over a low heat with the lid on. Drain and flake the fish.
STEP 2.
Put the fish, potato, green chilli, coriander, cumin, black pepper, garlic and ginger in a large bowl. Season, add the rice flour, mix well and break in 1 egg. Stir the mixture and divide into 15, then form into small logs. Break the remaining eggs into a bowl and whisk lightly. Put the breadcrumbs into another bowl. Dip each fofo in the beaten egg followed by the breadcrumb mixture. Chill for 20 minutes.
STEP 3.
Heat 1cm of oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the fofos in batches for 2 minutes on each side, turning gently to get an even golden brown colour all over. Drain on kitchen paper and repeat with the remaining fofos.
STEP 4.
For the onion salad, mix together the onion, coriander and lemon juice with a pinch of salt. Serve with the fofos and mango chutney.

Why this works on a weeknight

Fish fofos lands at about 37 minutes total — a little longer than our 30-minute target, but most of that time is hands-off simmering, which is why it earned a spot in our Skillet & One-Pan collection. The technique is forgiving, the ingredient list is grocery-store standard, and the active cooking time is short enough that you can answer a text message in the middle without ruining dinner.

Cleanup notes

This is a single-pan recipe, so the cleanup is exactly one pan, one cutting board, and one knife. While the dish rests, fill the pan with hot soapy water — by the time you are done eating, the residue lifts off with a single pass of a sponge. Skip the steel wool on cast iron; a stiff brush and warm water are all you need to keep the seasoning intact.

Make-ahead and leftovers

Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in a dry pan over medium-low with a splash of water or stock to loosen the sauce. Fish fofos actually improves overnight as the flavors keep talking to each other, so doubling the recipe and packing tomorrow's lunch is a high-leverage weeknight move.

Filed under 🥘 Skillet & One-Pan Seafood Portuguese