Puerto Rican bacalaitos are salted codfish fritters. These delicious fritters are a popular street food in Puerto Rico and can be found at kiosks all along the beaches. Bacalaitos are my favorite Puerto Rican fritura and probably the easiest to make. Follow my authentic bacalaitos recipe for the most delicious and addictive salted codfish fritters you’ve ever had!
What are bacalaitos?
Puerto Rican bacalaitos are made of a flour-based batter flavored with aromatics like sofrito, herbs and spices. Some people don’t add sofrito to the batter because they add garlic, onions and peppers in its place. But I like to add sofrito in addition to the aromatics because it adds another dimension of flavor, trust me! Check out my authentic Puerto Rican sofrito. As for seasoning, I use Healthy Rican Adobo and Sazón. They are free of harmful ingredients like MSG and dyes. Use my code: curlsnpearlsss for 10% off your order!
The bacalao or salted cod fish is the star of the show. Salted codfish is very salty, so you have to soak it in water for at least 8-12 hours. Alternatively, you could boil the salted cod fish in water for 15-30 minutes but this will make the fish a bit tough. I prefer soaking in cold water overnight. This will ensure the fish stays soft and tender. Once the batter is ready, the bacalao goes in. Then you fry the cod fish batter to golden perfection!
Adding enough cod fish to the batter is key, otherwise you’ll end up with some fritters that have no cod fish in them. “Este bacalaito esta ciego!” is what I would hear in my home. Translation: there’s no cod fish in my fritter!
Where do bacalaitos come from?
Bacalaitos are a staple food in Puerto Rico. They are a popular street food and are also sold at beaches and festivals. Food vendors also sell other frituras (fried foods) at their kiosks, such as alcapurrias and empanadillas. Some kiosks sell bacalaitos the size of your whole head! Grab a Medalla (Puerto Rican beer), Malta, Coco Rico or Piña Colada and enjoy your frituras with a beach view!
What to serve with bacalaitos?
Bacalaitos can be served as a side dish to any meal or as an appetizer on its own. I like to serve bacalaitos as a side when I make arroz con pollo, arroz con gandules with roasted chicken or alongside white rice and beans with bistec, pork chops or shrimp.
Can you air fry bacalaitos?
Yes! I have made my bacalaitos in the air fryer and they turned out fine. They are not as crispy as when you deep fry them but still just as delicious! I prefer the deep fried version, but enjoy the convenience of using the air fryer, when needed.
Can you make bacalaitos gluten-free?
Yes, absolutely! Just swap out the all-purpose flour with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour.
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Puerto Rican Bacalaitos
Ingredients
- 1 lb salted cod soaked, (1 cup soaking water reserved, see notes)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- 1 cup cod fish broth from soaking the cod
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 cup sofrito
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- 1/4 cup onion diced
- 1/4 cup bell pepper diced
- 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
- 1 tsp ground oregano
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp sazón con achiote
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- oil for frying
Instructions
- Once your cod fish has been soaked, (see notes for instructions) shred it into small pieces with a fork or just use your fingers. Set aside.
- Add oil to a frying pan over medium high heat (about 360 degrees F).
- Line a sheet pan with paper towels to drain fried bacalaitos later.
Prepare the batter
- In a large mixing bowl, add all of the dry ingredients. Stir until well combined.
- Add the chicken broth along with the water reserved from the cod fish. Whisk until a batter form. It should be the consistency of pancake batter. The thinner the batter, the thinner (and crispier!) the fritters will be once fried.
- Add the sofrito, garlic, onions, peppers, cilantro and shredded cod fish. Stir until well combined.
Fry the bacalaitos
- Use a ladle or 1/4 cup to scoop up the batter. I fill my 1/4 cup halfway for smaller bacalaitos.
- Start by frying one bacalaito, to test for flavor and texture. Carefully lay the batter into the oil.
- Fry the first bacalaito for about 3 minutes and then use tongs to flip it over. Fry for another 3-4 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Taste and adjust seasoning and/or consistency of batter, if necessary.
- Fry the rest of the bacalaitos and place on the lined sheet pan to drain and cool.
Video
Notes
Desalting the Cod:
Salted cod is extremely SALTY! Therefore, it is important to remove some of that salt before eating it. I find that soaking the salted cod in cold water overnight works much better than boiling it. When you boil salted cod fish you run the risk of making the fish tough. When soaking the fish in cold water, it remains soft and tender! To soak your salted cod, just remove from the package, give it a good rinse under cold running water and add it to a bowl filled with cold water. Store in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, reserve one cup of the salty water for adding flavor to the batter. Discard the rest of the water. Of course, if you are running short on time, you can soak the salted cod for 30 minutes and then boil for 15 minutes.Substitutions:
- If you can’t find salted codfish, use salted pollock or hake.
- If you can’t find any salted fish, use fresh fish. Once cooked, flake it with a fork and use in the recipe as instructed. Instead of using bacalao broth, add 1 teaspoon of salt to 1 cup of water or just add another cup of chicken broth. I like using Better than Bouillon dissolved in water!
- For a gluten-free version, replace the all-purpose flour with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour.
Air Fryer Version:
- To cook in the air fryer, just drizzle the bottom of your fryer with a little oil or spray with cooking oil spray.
- Add batter in small portions (about 1/4 cup, depending on the size of your air fryer).
- Cook at 400 degrees on the “Air Fry” setting for about 5 minutes. Flip over the bacalaitos and cook another 5 minutes.
- Be sure to check halfway to make sure they aren’t burning. Every air fryer is different, so results may vary.
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I love bacalaitos is a crowd pleaser and when you feel like eating something fry with a cold beer is priceless
Yes such a good combination! Enjoy!
This looks amazing, will definitely try it for my gluten free toddler. Thank you for sharing this unique recipe!
I’m so happy you will try this recipe. Please let me know how you like it! xo
Eating new unique Puerto Rican dishes like this is “MONEY IN THE BANK” thank you for sharing!
I’m so happy you are enjoying these recipes! xo
I’ll definitely try doing this recipe soon 🥰
Thank you! I hope you enjoy!
Gracias 😊
Love your recipes
Love all your recipes
Thank you so much! I really appreciate it!
One of the best recipes I ever tried.
I often cook for my gf and her being Dominican; it’s super important to connect to her culture through her childhood favs.
I’m polish and Cuban so a little effort goes along way.
Thank you for your amazing feedback, Emilia! I’m so happy you are enjoying my recipes. Cooking is my passion and I love connecting with people through the beauty of food and culture!
I followed Elena’s Recipe and OMG those Bacalaitos came out on point….Thank you soooo much for all you do 💖