Soak the cod in plenty of water (about a gallon [4 l] for 3 to 4 hours.Boil the cod in clean water until it starts to fall apart. Taste and change the water and soak again for half an hour if it is still too salty.
2. Mixing
Crumble the cod very finely and discard cartilage, bones, and skin. Taste to see how much salt is left.In a deep container mix the cod, milk, starch, chive, parsley, egg, sugar, bell pepper, and onion. If the cod was completely desalted in the previous step, add a pinch of salt.
3. Frying
In a frying pan, heat the oil to medium-high temperature (350 ºF [177 ºC]), and pour the mixture one spoonful at a time to make small cakes. Taste the first one that you fry to see if it needs a little more salt, if that is the case, add another pinch to the raw mixture.Fry the cakes until they are golden on both sides. Let them rest on a paper towel to remove excess oil.
4. Serving
Serve hot as an appetizer, side dish, or meat substitute.
Video
Notes
Many people use flour instead of cornstarch. Replace the cornstarch with the same amount of flour if you prefer this version.