Bacalaitos is known as one of the best Spanish appetizers. Seafood meets pancake in this savory appetizer that is the perfect appetizer recipe for a crowd in the warmer months.
What is bacalaitos?
According to Wikipedia:
"Bacalaitos are salt cod pancake like codfish fritters from Puerto Rico"
If you're Puerto Rican or had the pleasure of visiting the Island or even a community with a deep Puerto Rican heritage, you've most likely have been served bacalaitos Goya at some point. They're flavorful and convenient to make. But homemade bacalaitos will always win. Am I right, or am I right?
The flavor profile of bacalaitos is fresh and bold. The key to ensuring you have the best bacalaitos recipe is to soak the codfish overnight in water. This ensures you do not have a "too salty" bacalaitos batch. Once you've drained the codfish resoak it for another hour or two. You do want some natural salt, but the salted pollock is highly concentrated in salt. Two separate soaks does the trick.
When making fresh bacalaitos, fresh ingredients is key. Add finely chopped onions, red pepper, cilantro, and some oregano (this can be dried). Bacalaitos has the convenience of being a hand holding appetizer just like empanadas, but it's like a savory pancake. Light and fluffy, and the flavor is seriously out of this world with boldness! You can easily make a ketchup mayo sauce or even a garlic aioli to take it up another notch.
How To Make Bacalaitos Recipe | Codfish Fritters Recipe
First, it starts with choosing your fish. I'm choosing these boneless and skinless salted Pollock Chunks. The main thing is making sure it is salted (and in my case, boneless and skinless). This fish is the go to for an authentic Puerto Rican bacalaitos recipe.
I highly suggest you let the fish take a water bath for a few hours. Which looks like first rinsing the fish, then putting it into a bowl with fresh water, and changing the water every three hours. Have the fish refrigerated for this water bath. Do this for a total of 6 hours.
Next, you're going to put your fish into a pan with 3 cups of water and a teaspoon of white vinegar. Over medium high, let it come to a boil and simmer for five minutes. Then remove pan from heat and let it cool enough to touch. While the fish is cooling, you'll work on your batter.
Take two cups of white all purpose flour, and add in fresh chopped parsley, fresh chopped cilantro, fresh chopped onions, fresh chopped red bell pepper, some oregano, ¼ packet of sazon or Bijol for coloring, black pepper, and 1 ½ teaspoons of baking soda. I also add a little homemade sofrito, but that's optional. Mix it and wait.
Baking soda helps it fluff up while cooking. 🙂
Now that the fish has cooled, you're going to break it up as finely as desired. But reserve the water! So this looks like pouring the fish into a separate bowl using a colander and saving 1 cup of the salt water. This helps preserve the taste of the fish for the bacalaitos.
Add in 1 cup of the bacalaitos water into the flour mixture and mix. Next add in 1 to 1 ½ cups of fresh water into the mix. The thinner the batter, the crispier the bacalaitos. Mix it all to form a pancake like batter and fold in the fish.
I suggest letting it sit for about 5-10 minutes before frying it. When you fry it, add in about a ¼ cup and don't just dump it in like a pancake, try to make it into a line. Fry it until the edges are golden colored before flipping it over. About 2 minutes per side. Now that's how you make codfish fritters!
RELATED RECIPE: Tilapia Spanish Rice (Arroz con Tilapia)
I'm apart of some amazing Puerto Rican recipes groups on Facebook and I posed the question of "should I add eggs to my bacalaitos" and the overwhelming response was no. So I ask you mi gente, do you add eggs to your bacalaitos? If so, or not, I want to hear from you in the comments below. As always, buen provecho!
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Recipe
Bacalaitos | Codfish Fritters
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
- 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 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.
- Fry until edges are lightly brown, and flip over. Cooking for 2-3 minutes per side, or longer for a crispier bacalaito.
Eddie says
Nowadays everything is added something new for creating something new. It’s like kicking up a notch , just don’t tell unless you’re asked what’s in it that it taste different but good. I had one made with chopped maduro (sweet plantain) & it was delicious .
Latina Mom Meals says
Oh man, that sounds so yummy!
Annette says
Why are you using Polic instead of codfish? And what if I use fresh cod fish instead of dried and salted, do I still need to soak it?
Irma says
I have read many recipes online, but have used 1. However, your recipes are legible, easy to follow and very straight forward.
I look forward to making many PR foods from this website.
Thanks,
Irma Leon Black
Latina Mom Meals says
Thank you Irma! So happy to hear this.
Leslie says
Saludos... Chica
Hoy estaba con Antojos de un gustito de Perto Rico...Y pense bacalaitos 'busque Por internet y vi Esta Receta la cual me refresco a Como yo Los hacia. Me quedaron igual q. Tus fotos. No tenia Baking powder, Pero quedaron supier ricossss. Voy a tomar en cuenta con Madura suena buenisimo?Gracias Por tal bien detallada Receta.
Latina Mom Meals says
Mmmmm que rico y que bueno que te lo encantante. Gracias!
Dulce says
Pretty perfect.. Only seems to be missing green olives. ☑
Latina Mom Meals says
Hehe, thanks! That would be a yummy add in option for olive lovers!
Lillian says
Thank you so much for this recipe they came out delicioso for my first time. Couldn't be happier😁
Neyssa says
I am so happy you enjoyed this!!!
John Ocean says
This recipe looks wonderful, cod is a very good fish. Thanks for the post.
Boneta says
Can excess batter be saved ?
Neyssa says
I would not save it.
Omar Muniz says
Made the recipe and LOVED it! Thank you so much for sharing!
Nery says
There is no salted cod where I live.
Can these be made with fresh cod?
If yes , do I have to do any adjustments to recipe?
Thank you for posting this amazing recipe.
Neyssa says
Yes, you should have the same results.
Adalis says
Can I refrigerate leftovers or should it be made to eat immediately
Laura says
I'm looking forward to trying this recipe.I cook a light supper for my 98 year old parents most nights and they love being introduced to new dishes. Thanks.
Hilda Johannes says
I never did add an egg but it surely sounds good. Thanks for the recipe.
Darlene says
Excellent recipe. I live in Midland, Texas. There is no Puerto Rican restaurant that I know of as of yet .My family enjoyed it. I dont need to go to New York, thank you for sharing.
Johnny says
Just like the kind you have when back in Puerto Rico.
Buen Provecho!
Dee says
Can I do this with shrimp?
Christopher Jump says
I have never tried it with shrimp. If you try it, please let me know how it turns out.
Jeramie Crowder says
I'm a chef at a hospital and for Hispanic heritage month I made this recipe with shrimp and it was a hit. I posted your link and so they could Print it out. Thank you so much.
Daisy Torres says
This is the closest recipe to my mother's and it's so good!!
Love it ❤️
Lillian Ochoa says
Great and delicious
d says
so good