Bacalaitos | Codfish Fritters

A Latin codfish fritter, this flavorful finger food is perfect for gatherings and is completely flavorful and seafood lover approved.

Ingredients

• 1 pound of salted pollock no skin or bones
• 5 cups of water
• 1 teaspoon of white vinegar
• 2 cups of all purpose flour
• ¼ cup of chopped onions
• 3 tablespoons of chopped parsley
• 3 tablespoons of chopped cilantro
• 1 tablespoon of dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon of Bijol or sazon
• 1 red bell pepper finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon of homemade sofrito optional
• 1 ½ teaspoons of baking soda

Instructions

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl add in remaining ingredients, except for the water.
4. Next, using a colander, drain fish into a new bowl, and reserve 1 cup of the salted fish water.
5. Using your hands, shred fish as finely as desired.
6. 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.
7. Next, fold in your fish and let batter sit for ten minutes.
8. After 10 minutes, to a frying pan add in 1 ½ inches of vegetable oil for frying. Once oil is hot, ladle in ¼ cup of batter, in a long stride to create a long bacalaito.
9. Fry until edges are lightly brown, and flip over. Cooking for 2-3 minutes per side, or longer for a crispier bacalaito.