Bacalaitos Recipes

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.

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 - FRIED CODFISH FRITTERS

Steps:

• Soak codfish in cold water overnight in the refrigerator.(Change the water at least 3 times ~ have also heard that it is good when soaked in milk).
• Drain, rinse with cold water several times.
• In a saucepan, cover codfish with water, bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Cool, remove skin and bones.
• Shred the fish.
• In a bowl make a batter by whisking together the flour, baking powder, adobo and water.
• When smooth, mix in garlic, cilantro and shredded fish.
• Check for seasoning, if necessary add some more pepper or the adobo with pepper.
• In a skillet, heat 1/4" of oil on medium heat.
• Drop the batter by spoonsful into hot oil and cook until golden brown.
• Drain on paper towel.
• Enjoy!

MARIA'S PORTUGUESE BACALAU

Steps:

• Soak the dried salted cod in cold water for 24 hours, changing the water several times.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the soaked cod, and boil for about 5 minutes, or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Remove cod from water, and save water for cooking potatoes. Remove skin and bones from the cod, and flake the meat into pieces using a fork. Set fish aside in a large bowl.
• In a small bowl, stir together the olive oil, 1 clove of garlic, 1 tablespoon of parsley, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Pour over the fish, and toss lightly to coat.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place the potatoes into the fish water, and bring to a boil. Cook for 20 minutes, or until tender. Drain under cool water, peel and cut into 1/4 inch slices.
• While the potatoes are cooking, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, and saute until golden and caramelized. Stir one clove of garlic into the onions. Set aside.
• Layer half of the potato slices in the bottom of a greased 8x11 inch baking dish. Cover with half of the cod, then half of the onions. Repeat layers, ending with onion.
• Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until lightly browned. Before serving, garnish the top with green and black olives, and hard-cooked eggs. Sprinkle with remaining parsley.

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.

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 (COD FRITTERS)

Steps:

• Cut the cod fish in small chunks, place in a pot, cover with water and boil on high for 15 minutes.
• Drain, debone, wash and shred.
• In a bowl, combine flour, salt and baking powder.
• Make a little well in the center. Pour the water slowly and mix to make a thick like sauce.
• Add the pepper and sazón and stir well.
• In a mortar, crush the garlic and culantro leaves. Add to the mix.
• Add the shredded bacalao and mix well.
• In a frying pan, pre-heat the vegetable oil.
• Fry the bacalaitos on high heat by dropping big spoonfuls in hot oil.
• Turn as needed.
• Bacalaitos are done when they are golden.
• Drain in paper towels.

BACALAITOS

Steps:

• Combine the salt cod, onion, garlic, and pepper in a bowl and mix well with a wooden spoon. Add the flour and stir a few times, then beat in the eggs one at a time. Add about 1/2 cup water and stir until a batter forms-it should be a bit thicker than pancake batter, but not much-then stir in the parsley.
• Let the mixture rest while you put about 3 inches of oil in a deep saucepan and heat it over medium high to 350°F (a drop of the batter will sizzle energetically but not violently). Using a tablespoon, gently drop spoonfuls of the cod mixture into the oil and fry, turning once, until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Work in batches, taking care not to crowd the fritters.
• Drain on paper towels and serve with lime wedges or keep in a warm oven until ready to serve.
• Spanish Shrimp Fritters
• Substitute 1 pound shrimp, peeled, and ground, for the salt cod.
• Indian Shrimp Fritters
• Substitute 1 pound shrimp, peeled and ground, for the salt cod. Add 1 teaspoon ground cumin and 1 teaspoon ground turmeric to the shrimp, onion, garlic, and pepper mixture. Substitute 2 hot green chiles, stemmed, seeded, and minced, for the parsley.