Bacalaítos Recipes

BACALAITOS | CODFISH FRITTERS

Steps:

• Rinse fish thoroughly before placing into a bowl of water. Refrigerate for 3 hours, then drain water and add fresh water. Repeat 1 more time.
• Drain water after the second 3 hour round. Place fish into a pot with 3 cups of water and vinegar. Bring water to a boil, lower heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Remove pot from heat and let water cool.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl add in remaining ingredients, except for the water.
• Next, using a colander, drain fish into a new bowl, and reserve 1 cup of the salted fish water.
• Using your hands, shred fish as finely as desired.
• Add the 1 cup of salted water to the flour mixture, and mix together. Next, slowly add an additional cup of fresh water to the mixture. For a thinner and crispier bacalaito, add in up to another cup of fresh water. Mix together to form a pancake like batter.
• Next, fold in your fish and let batter sit for ten minutes.
• After 10 minutes, to a frying pan add in 1 1/2 inches of vegetable oil for frying. Once oil is hot, ladle in 1/4 cup of batter, in a long stride to create a long bacalaito.
• Fry until edges are lightly brown, and flip over. Cooking for 2-3 minutes per side, or longer for a crispier bacalaito.

BACALAITOS RECIPE

Steps:

• Place the bacalao in a bowl and fill it with water. Let it soak overnight (for at least 5 hours). Drain and rinse with water a couple of times to get rid of the excess salt. Transfer to a pot and fill with water. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 12 minutes. Remove from heat and let it cool down. Remove skin and bones (if any) and shred. Set aside. In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, adobo, garlic powder, and onion powder. Slowly pour the water and whisk until everything is well incorporated and you have a thin batter. Mix in the shredded bacalao. In a large saucepan, heat oil. Drop around 2 Tbsp of batter into the hot oil and cook until golden. Repeat with the rest of the batter.

BACALAíTOS - FRIED CODFISH FRITTERS

Steps:

• Step 1 Soak fish in cold water for three hours or overnight in refrigerator. Step 2 Drain; rinse with cold water several times. Step 3 In a saucepan, cover codfish with water, bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Step 4 Cool, remove skin and bones. Shred the fish. In bowl, make a batter by whisking together the flour, baking powder, Adobo and water. When smooth, mix in the garlic, cilantro and shredded fish. Step 5 In a skillet, heat 1⁄4 inch of oil on medium heat. Drop the batter by spoonful into hot oil and cook until golden brown. Drain on paper towel.

BACALAíTOS

Steps:

• Prepare the fish: Rinse the salt cod under cold running water for 1 minute to remove any loose salt, then place in a large bowl or container and submerge completely in cold water. Cover and let soak in the refrigerator 8 hours or overnight.
• After soaking, drain, rinse again under cold running water then place in a large pot and cover with water. Boil for 20 minutes. Drain, place in a large mixing bowl and use two forks to shred the fish.
• Add the garlic, onions, red peppers, cilantro, oregano, cumin and 1 teaspoon pepper. Toss until evenly combined. Taste the mixture and adjust seasoning with salt if needed (as salt cod brands vary, some may retain more salt after soaking than others; be sure to taste until the mixture is pleasantly salty).
• Pour 1 inch of oil into a heavy-bottomed skillet or Dutch oven and set over high heat until the oil shimmers and a deep-fry thermometer reaches 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or paper towels and top with a wire cooling rack if desired.
• While the oil heats, add the flour and baking powder to the cod mixture and stir until evenly combined. Add water, about 1/2 cup at a time, until the batter resembles a pancake batter (usually about 1 1/2 to 2 cups total).
• Working in batches, spoon about 1/3 cup batter into the hot oil, spreading it out as you pour to create a 3- to 4-inch round disk. Repeat with 1 to 2 more scoops of batter per batch, leaving about 2 inches between each bacalaíto. Fry 2 minutes on one side, then use tongs to turn and fry until the fritters are cooked through and golden, about 1 minute more. Use tongs to transfer the bacalaítos to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with rest of batter, adding more oil as needed. Serve immediately.

BACALAITOS (CODFISH FRITTERS)

Steps:

• Drain salted cod. Boil fish in 3 cups of the water and the milk until tender, about 20 to 30 minutes. Remove cooked fish from liquid, shred and set aside to cool. Make a batter with the flour, baking powder and remaining water. Add cod, onions, peppers, garlic and cilantro. Deep fry spoonfuls of the batter in oil heated to 350 degrees until golden.