These Puerto Rican Bacalaitos are one of the most satisfying recipes to make. Learn how to make these just like they’re made on the island!
Bacalaitos Fritos are salted codfish fritters that are a popular street food in Puerto Rico. The way that bacalaitos are usually made in Puerto Rico is on a wood fire.
Eating one is a whole experience, from the smell to taking a bite and hearing the crunch. I can eat bacalaitos every day, I swear!
Bacalaitos are considered a fritter, a snack, or an appetizer. Usually is not something you eat in combination with something else but a refreshing passion fruit mojito cocktail or a big piña colada without alcohol is always a good choice.
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Why This Recipe Works
- This a traditional recipe made just like the chinchorros in Puerto Rico.
- This is the perfect party food recipe to be served next to small balls of tender mofongo or a few fried smashed plantains.
Recipe Ingredients
- Water & flour- The base is made with water and all-purpose flour.
- Salted codfish- The star ingredient is the bacalao, you can really add how much you want.
- Recao- This recipe calls for recao sometimes known as culantro but sometimes this can be hard to come by. A good substitute is cilantro which is not as strong in flavor but it will suffice. You can read more about what culantro is.
- Seasonings- Salt, ground oregano, onion, and garlic powder. Some people add other seasonings or sofrito. Remember we don’t need a lot of seasonings because the salted cod will give a lot of flavor.
- Oil- I used vegetable oil but you can use any kind you regularly use to fry. But to tell you the truth, lard is one of the best things to use to fry a bacalao.
How to make Bacalaitos
- Photo 1: Rinse your salted codfish to remove as much excess salt as possible. Then cook for 15 minutes. After this is complete drain and cut into smaller pieces. You can leave it in big chunks if you like. The most important thing is to make sure that you check if any bones are left in.
- Photo 2: Mix in your water, flour, and all the seasonings making sure there are no lumps left. Now is the time to check the consistency of your batter. It should not be as thick as a pancake batter nor as thin as a crepe one. Add your codfish and mix well. Now taste your mix and you can add more salt if needed by adding ½ of a teaspoon at a time.
- Photo 3: Add oil to a shallow pan, turn your heat to medium, and pour your batter. At first, it will look like a flat pancake and that’s exactly what you want. When the temperature of your oil is low it helps the batter spread out instead of just separating into little lumps. I also try to spread the mix with whatever I pour it with. Fry for 3 minutes per side.
- Photo 4: Now turn up the heat to high. Cook on each side for two minutes or until it has a nice golden color. This is when your bacalaito will get super crunchy. Unless you have a big frying pan you must fry in batches. Make sure that before each batch your oil has cooled down.
Recipe Tips
- While you can use any pan to fry bacalaitos in, the best one is a shallow pan to get a thin and flat bacalaito.
- Nowadays people like making fusions of food and some people use the bacalao batter as a breading for things like chicken and fried veggies.
- Make a bandeja de picadera platter with mini versions Puerto Rican rellenos de papa, bacalaitos, Puerto Rican piggies in a blanket or pizza empanadillas.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can go to your local supermarket around the seafood area. It comes in packs or in small wooden boxes depending on the brand. You can also find it in a Latin grocery store.
Yes, you can make these ahead of time. Just make the batter and store it in the fridge in a container with a cover. When you are ready to make, take the batter out of the fridge at least 15 minutes before so your batter won’t be too cold. Do not keep the batter for more than 4 days in the fridge.
More Puerto Rican Fritter Recipes
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Puerto Rican Bacalaitos | Salted Codfish Fritters
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 12 ounces water
- 4 ounces bacalao (salted codfish)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground oregano
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon recao
- 1 cup oil for frying
Instructions
Bacalao (Salted Codfish)
- Rinse any excess salt from your salted codfish. You can do this under running water in your sink or in a bowl of water. In a large saucepan add water and cook your codfish for 15 minutes.
- Drain and shred into smaller pieces. While doing this check that there are no bones in left. Taste your codfish to make sure that it has the perfect amount of saltiness. If it still has too much salt then rinse in a bowl and taste again. Set aside.
Batter
- In a medium bowl add water, flour and seasonings. Mix everything together well until there are no visible bumps. Add recao and mix in. Last, add your codfish and mix it well.
Fry
- In a medium shallow pan add your oil and set it to medium. Add your mix and fry on each side for 3 minutes. Then bring up your oil to medium-high and fry for an extra 2 minutes per side.
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Recipe Notes
- Buying salted cod- Depending on where you live the bacalao may be hard to find. But look for it in the seafood section in your supermarket. Or Latin supermarkets.
- Check for bones- One of the most important things to do is to make sure you check your codfish for any bones that were left in.
- Batter consistency- Your batter should have a thin consistency. If the batter is too thick add 1 tablespoon of water at a time until you reach the right consistency. If too thin then add 1 tablespoon of flour until it gets thick enough.
- Portioning- I used a ½ cup to measure the batter for each bacalaito. You can use a cup or a ladle. You can make them smaller if you like or even bigger.
- Frying- When frying your bacalaitos your oil should not be very hot. The reason for this is that if it is very hot instead of one bacalaito it will spread into tiny pieces. When you first put your batter in it will look soggy and that’s ok. After 6 minutes you will increase your oil temperature to medium-high and this is when it will start to get crispy.
Stephenie says
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Brian Johnson says
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Stephenie says
Hi Vicky, each bacalaito has approximately 36g carbs. This is just an estimation, it can change depending on ingredients and size. Remember this recipe makes 4 big ones, you can also make them smaller if you are trying to cut carbs. Thank you for visiting us!
vicky says
how many carbs in one