A bacalaíto is a salted

codfish Cod (: cod) is the common name for the demersal fish genus '' Gadus'', belonging to the family Gadidae. Cod is also used as part of the common name for a number of other fish species, and one species that belongs to genus ''Gadus'' is commonly ...

fritter A fritter is a portion of meat, seafood, fruit, vegetables, or other ingredients which have been Batter (cooking), battered or breading, breaded, or just a portion of dough without further ingredients, that is deep-frying, deep-fried. Fritters ar ...

, a traditional Puerto Rican snack that typically is eaten with an entire meal. Bacalaítos are served at the beach, '' cuchifritos'', and at festivals. They are crispy on the outside and dense and chewy in the inside.

Description

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

, ''bacalaítos'' are served all over the island with many different versions. The salted cod is soaked in water overnight to remove most of the salt, or is boiled, usually three times. The cod is then drained and shredded into a large bowl with all-purpose flour,

baking powder Baking powder is a dry chemical leavening agent, a mixture of a carbonate or bicarbonate and a weak acid. The base and acid are prevented from reacting prematurely by the inclusion of a buffer such as cornstarch. Baking powder is used to increas ...

, '' sazón'' (spice mix), ''

sofrito (), (), (), (), () or () is a basic preparation in Mediterranean cuisine, Mediterranean, Latin American cuisine, Latin American, Spanish cuisine, Spanish, Italian cuisine, Italian and Portuguese cuisine, Portuguese cooking. It typically ...

'', and '' orégano brujo'' as the most common batter mix. The cod is then worked into the batter with water or milk, then

deep-fried Deep frying (also referred to as deep fat frying) is a cooking method in which food is submerged in hot fat, traditionally lard but today most commonly oil, as opposed to the shallow frying used in conventional frying done in a frying pan. N ...

; when done, the ''bacalaito'' should resemble a

pancake A pancake, also known as a hotcake, griddlecake, or flapjack, is a flat type of batter bread like cake, often thin and round, prepared from a starch-based Batter (cooking), batter that may contain eggs, milk, and butter, and then cooked on a ...

References

Puerto Rican cuisine Latin American cuisine {{PuertoRico-culture-stub