These Puerto Rican style bacalaitos are perfectly crispy and packed with flavor. Sofrito, garlic and adobo add a nice touch to these homemade cod fish fritters. Each bacalaito is loaded with pieces of cod fish and fried until golden. Serve them with an ice cold beer or Malta on a hot, summer day and prepare to be amazed. If you loved this bacalaito recipe, you will really enjoy these homemade Alcapurrias and this Jibarito recipe.
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An Explanation Of The Ingredients
- Cod Fish – Soak the salted cod fish (bacalao) in water to remove the salt before boiling.
- Flour – Use flour as a base for the bacalaito batter.
- Baking Soda – The crispiest bacalaitos are made with baking soda.
- Sazon – Add a touch of Sazon to the batter for some color.
- Adobo – Season the batter with adobo to taste.
- Salt – Always add salt to taste.
- Sofrito – Use homemade or store bought for this recipe.
- Cilantro – Fresh cilantro adds tons of flavor.
- Onions – Chop and finely dice the onion.
- Garlic – Mince the garlic clove and add it to the fish batter.
These are the ingredients you will need for the batter.
Boil the cod fish in water. Make sure there is enough water in the pot to cover the fish.
Fry the fish fritters in hot oil. Make sure the oil reaches between 365-370 degrees F before frying.
How To Make Bacalaitos
- Rinse the salted cod fish with cold water.
- Place the cod fish inside of an air tight container and add enough cold water to cover the fish. Close the lid and refrigerate for 2 hours.
- After 2 hours, drain the water and add fresh, cold water. Refrigerate once again for another 2 hours. Repeat this step one more time. It takes a total of 6 hours to desalinate the fish.
- Drain the water from the cod fish and add the fish to a large pot with enough fresh water to cover the fish.
- Boil the cod fish for 3 minutes, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and reserve 1 cup of the fish water. Set aside the water and fish to cool.
- Chop and dice the onion. Finely mince the garlic cloves and cilantro.
- In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, adobo, Sazon, sofrito, minced garlic, onion and cilantro.
- Begin adding the completely cooled, reserved fish water to the batter while whisking at the same time.
- Once you’ve added all of the fish water, begin adding 1 cup of fresh water to the batter. Stir everything well to combine.
- Once the fish has cooled, drain the water through a colander. Transfer the cod fish to a separate plate and use 2 forks to shred them.
- Fold the shredded fish into the batter using a spatula.
- Heat enough oil in a large pot to cover the fritters. The oil should reach at least 365-370 degrees F.
- Scoop out 1/4 cup of bacalaito batter and add it to the hot oil, creating a thick line.
- Fry for 2-3 minutes on each side or until the edges are golden brown. You’ll know it’s time to flip, once the bacalaitos rise to the top of the pan. Do not crowd the pan, or the oil temperature will drop too low.
- Transfer the cooked cod fish fritters to a paper towel lined plate to soak up the excess oil.
- Finally, serve the bacalitos and enjoy!
Cooking The Perfect Fritter
I recommend cooking one fritter first to make sure it comes out to your liking. After cooking, give it a try and see if it needs more salt to taste. This fish batter is also very crispy. If you prefer a thicker and less crispy batter, add less water to the batter. Use 1 1/2 cups instead of 2 cups of water and test it out to see if it has the right consistency for you.
What If I Can’t Find Cod Fish?
If you’re having trouble finding salted cod fish, try haddock or Alaskan pollock instead. Follow the rest of the recipe to cook as is. Traditionally, Puerto Rican bacalaitos are made with cod fish but you can substitute as needed.
Storing Suggestions
I like eating the fritters right away. They won’t have the same texture after heating them up. However, you may store in an air tight container with a paper towel inside. The paper towel will trap any extra condensation inside of the container. Store for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
Can I Freeze For Later?
Freezing cooked bacalaitos will impact the texture so I do not recommend it. However, you can store the uncooked batter in an air tight container for up to 2 months. Thaw the fish batter in the refrigerator completely before using it to cook.
Recipe Notes
- Some people like adding bell peppers and other seasonings to their batter. I recommend seasoning to taste and adding anything you’d like to make this recipe your own.
- Test fry one fritter first to make sure the seasonings and salt are according to your taste. You can always add more if needed.
- The oil should reach at least 365 – 370 degrees F for frying. Do not crowd the pan, otherwise the temperature will drop and it will impact the texture of your bacalaitos.
Bacalaitos
Ingredients
- 1 lb salted boneless, skinless cod fish desalinated
- 2 cups flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 2 cups water 1 cup reserved fish water
- 1 packet sazon con culantro y achiote
- 2 tsp adobo or to taste
- 2 tsp salt or to taste
- 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
- 1/4 cup onion chopped and diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tbsp sofrito
Instructions
- Rinse the salted cod fish with cold water.
- Place the cod fish inside of an air tight container and add enough cold water to cover the fish. Close the lid and refrigerate for 2 hours.
- After 2 hours, drain the water and add fresh, cold water. Refrigerate once again for another 2 hours. Repeat this step one more time. It takes a total of 6 hours to desalinate the fish.
- Drain the water from the cod fish and add the fish to a large pot with enough fresh water to cover the fish.
- Boil the cod fish for 3 minutes, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and reserve 1 cup of the fish water. Set aside the water and fish to cool.
- Chop and dice the onion. Finely mince the garlic cloves and cilantro.
- In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, adobo, Sazon, sofrito, minced garlic, onion and cilantro.
- Begin adding the completely cooled, reserved fish water to the batter while whisking at the same time.
- Once you’ve added all of the fish water, begin adding 1 cup of fresh water to the batter. Stir everything well to combine.
- Once the fish has cooled, drain the water through a colander. Transfer the cod fish to a separate plate and use 2 forks to shred them.
- Fold the shredded fish into the batter using a spatula.
- Heat enough oil in a large pot to cover the fritters. The oil should reach at least 365-370 degrees F.
- Scoop out 1/4 cup of bacalaito batter and add it to the hot oil, creating a thick line.
- Fry for 2-3 minutes on each side or until the edges are golden brown. You’ll know it’s time to flip, once the bacalaitos rise to the top of the pan. Do not crowd the pan, or the oil temperature will drop too low.
- Transfer the cooked cod fish fritters to a paper towel lined plate to soak up the excess oil.
- Finally, serve the bacalitos and enjoy!
Notes
- Some people like adding bell peppers and other seasonings to their batter. I recommend seasoning to taste and adding anything you’d like to make this recipe your own.
- Test fry one fritter first to make sure the seasonings and salt are according to your taste. You can always add more if needed.
- The oil should reach at least 365 – 370 degrees F for frying. Do not crowd the pan, otherwise the temperature will drop and it will impact the texture of your bacalaitos.