Why It Works
- Simmering the dried cod in water guarantees that it won’t be too salty and softens it enough to flake into smaller pieces for the fritters.
- Flaking the fish into nickel-size pieces ensures the fritters have a nice chew in the center once fried.
- Adding sazón and a sofrito spice blends to the fritter batter gives the fritters their signature flavor.
- Shallow frying instead of deep frying the fritters requires less oil and creates less mess.
Whenever I go back home to Puerto Rico to visit family, after landing at the airport I take a quick drive to Playa Aviones. Here my very first stop is always to the kioskos (food stands) that line the streets. The smell of the seaside breeze hits me when I walk up to the stands, as I see cooks dropping ladles of a seasoned fish-studded batter into huge pots of bubbling oil that sit over open flames. The cooks use tongs to quickly grab the bacalaitos—fried salt cod fritters—out of the pots and pierce them with skewers. The fritters are briefly pierced and hung on skewers or rods to let the excess oil drip off before being served piping hot.
Depending on the stand you visit, the size of these salt cod fritters will vary: Some are thick and fluffy, while others are so thin and crispy they’re almost see-through. Some are small enough to be served by the handful on paper napkins, while others are so large they’re almost the size of your head. I always order two small ones with an ice-cold local beer to wash them down.
Growing up, I ate fish every Friday and bacalao—dried salted cod—was an accessible and affordable protein that was easy to stretch into a variety of meals. The fish had a permanent place in my family’s fridge. We’d serve it as a stew with boiled root vegetables, or combine it with rice for a one-pot meal, but my favorite way my family prepared it was folded into a batter and fried into bacalaitos that were crisp and golden on the outside and plush and pillowy on the inside. A bacalaito is the perfect palm-size snack, and these fritters are savory and salty enough that you won’t need a dipping sauce or any kind of garnish.
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They’re also the nostalgic snack I love making for friends, especially when I want to introduce them to Puerto Rican cuisine. The recipe I’m sharing here is inspired by the bacalaitos I grew up eating at home, but with a few of my own techniques introduced to streamline the recipe: I use a quick boil to soften and remove excess salt from the cod (instead of a more traditional cold water overnight soak) and I shallow-fry the fritters instead of deep frying them in a large vat of oil, which minimizes the mess. And while these dried salt cod fritters take some time to prepare, they rely on just a few pantry staples to make and, once shaped, fry up in just a few minutes.
Salted Cod’s Popularity in Puerto Rico
Bacalaitos are one of the many frituras (fried foods) commonly served as snacks and appetizers in Puerto Rico, especially during festivals and religious holidays. Frituras are often served solo to snack on before a big meal and also make for a great bite on the go, especially at the beachside kiosks that line the island shores.
Dried and salted fish (including cod, pollock, mackerel, and sardines) found its way throughout the Caribbean foodways via colonization by Spain. And even though Puerto Rico has an abundance of local seafood, storing and preserving fattier fish that was caught fresh locally didn’t work well due to the heat and humidity of the tropical climate. This resulted in dried and salted fish being imported by the Spanish from the Northern colder waters of the Atlantic during the 16th century.
On the island, the large communities of Spanish Catholics—many of whom eschewed meat during Lent and on Fridays throughout the year—popularized salted fish dishes with influences from other European countries, including Portugal and France. According to Eating Puerto Rico: A History of Food, Culture, and Identity by Cruz Miguel Ortíz Cuadra, “what had started as an inexpensive fish that would satisfy the requirements of Lent and supplement the diets of soldiers and plantation slaves ended as the most logical dietary staple for hundreds of islanders, both rich and poor.”
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Prepping the Salt Cod
Salt cod is, as you might imagine, incredibly salty. The first step is to soak the dried fish enough to leach out excess salt so the fish is edible. This is the one great inconvenience of salt cod. While you can soak the fish in cold or room temperature water over the course of several hours with several water changes to leach out the excess salt, I find similar results can be achieved by simmering the fish with plenty of water until it’s just salty enough to eat and softened enough to flake into pieces to form the fritters. This typically takes only about 15 to 20 minutes, which means you don’t have to prepare your fish a full day in advance, but instead can prepare the cod and cook the fritters all on the same day.
The saltiness of the salt cod varies with each fish, so when you’re boiling the fish to remove excess salt, you’ll need to taste and adjust the simmering time every time you make them. If it tastes well seasoned, then if it’s ready to flake and use, but if it makes your lips purse, you’ll need to replace the salty water with fresh water and repeat the simmering process. With my preferred brand of salted fish (Panamei Salted Pollock), I typically need to change the water once. As a side note, while some people soak dried cod in milk instead of water, I don’t find a major flavor difference between that and water—and water is free, while milk is not.
Frying the Fritters
Shallow-fried until the edges are crisp and the centers are pleasantly chewy, these snacks are served piping hot, though they are also wonderful served at room temperature when properly prepared. The key to achieving their signature golden-brown exterior and chewy interior is to ensure that the oil in the pan is shallow (only about an inch deep) and hot enough that the fritters cook quickly.
Keep in mind that salted cod fish is going to have your house smelling fishy, so if you aren’t a huge fan of that, I’d suggest opening a window or two while boiling the fish. Additionally you can simmer a small pot of potpourri water or even a pot of vinegar on the stove to combat the smell. My mom always had a little simmer pot going while making bacalaitos and I have kept up the practice myself.
The Crispy Fried Fish Fritters I’m Making for All My Friend’s This Holiday Season
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1 pound dried, salted cod fish or pollock (see notes)
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1/2 cup (120ml) tap water plus water for boiling the fish
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2 cups (480ml) neutral cooking oil such a vegetable or canola oil for frying
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2 cups (255g) all-purpose flour
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1 teaspoon no-salt-added sazón spice blend (see notes)
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1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
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1 teaspoon garlic powder
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1 tablespoon dried sofrito spice blend (see notes)
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4 sprigs culantro or cilantro, leaves and tender stems finely chopped (see notes)
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In a large Dutch oven, add the dried salted cod and enough water to cover the fish by 1 inch. Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce heat to medium and simmer until the fish is slightly tender and starting to curl up at ends, about 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, break a small piece of the fish off and taste it to check for saltiness. If the fish is still excessively salty, use a spider skimmer to remove fish and transfer to a large plate, then discard water, return the fish to pot, and add fresh water to cover again. Bring back to a boil, simmer for 5 minutes, then taste again. Repeat again if necessary until desired salt level is achieved, then remove from heat (see notes). Use a spider skimmer or large slotted spoon to transfer the fish to large plate and reserve 2 cups of the bacalao water for the batter. Set fish and cooking liquid aside and allow to cool completely before proceeding.
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Set a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet and line with paper-towels; set aside. In a 10-inch inch cast iron skillet, add the neutral cooking oil (oil should measure about 1 inch deep) and heat over medium heat until oil registers 350ºF (175℃).
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For the fritter batter: While the oil is preheating, in a large bowl whisk together the flour, sazón spice blend, pepper, garlic powder, sofrito, and culantro or cilantro.
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Pour reserved 2 cups bacalao water and 1/2 cup fresh water into the dry ingredients and whisk until fully combined. The mixture should have the consistency of a very loose pancake batter.
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Using clean hands, flake the cooled rehydrated salted cod into the batter in nickel-size pieces, making sure to remove any bones you may find during the process. Stir to evenly combine.
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Once oil is at temperature, working in batches of 3 at a time, carefully scoop 1/4 cup (60ml) portions of batter into the oil to form each fritter. Fry the fritters without touching until bottoms start to turn light golden and edges turn crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. At this time, the bacalaitos should release themselves from the skillet bottom. Using a thin metal spatula, carefully flip them over and continue to cook until golden brown all over, 2 to 3 minutes. Use a thin metal spatula to transfer to prepared paper-towel lined wire rack. Repeat frying the fritters in batches of 3, about 6 batches total, until all bacalaitos are made. Serve.
Serious Eats / Melati Citrawireja
Variations
You can substitute salted fish with canned tuna, chopped shrimp, sliced sausage, or sweet corn kernels.
Special Equipment
Large Dutch oven, 10-inch cast iron skillet, instant read thermometer, thin metal spatula, rimmed baking sheet, wire rack
Notes
Bacalao is often sold in the the seafood department in many grocery stores and specialty Italian and Caribbean grocers, either in bags or a wooden box. It is also often labeled as salt cod, salted cod, or salted pollock. Either fish works great for this recipe.
Look for a salt-free version of sazón, such as Goya or Badia brands, since the cod fish is salty enough.
Dried sofrito blends are available online at vendors such as Spice Tribe or Amazon. It’s also sometimes in the international section of grocery stores.
Instead of using dried sofrito, 1 tablespoon of fresh sofrito can be added to the batter when the liquids are added.
Culantro is often sold in international markets as recao or sawtooth herb. Cilantro is a great substitute if you aren’t able to find it.
The 1/4 cup (2 ounces) of batter called for per fritter in the recipe will make fairly thin fritters with slightly dense, chewy centers. If you want a larger and thicker fritters, use 1/2 cup (4 ounces) batter for each fritter and cook about 3 minutes longer.
Make-Ahead and Storage
The fritters can be held warm in a 200℉ (93℃) oven for up to 1 hour before serving.
The prepared batter can be covered and refrigerated for up to 1 day. The batter may separate, which is normal. Simply stir to recombine. Thin with additional water if needed to achieve a pancake batter–like consistency.
