Feast of the Seven Fishes Fried Bacala (Cod)

Written by on in Appetizer, Dinner, Side Dish, Snack, Uncategorized

The Feast of the Seven Fishes is a traditional Christmas Eve feast. We have at least 7 fishes, but usually more. This year, we had bacala two ways – slow cooker bacala in a tomato caper sauce (https://cookingupjustice.com/slow-cooker-bacala-in-a-tomato-caper-sauce/), and this fried bacala recipe. Frying the bacala was way easier than I thought, and fried up quickly. Keep in mind, because bacala is salted, you need to start desalinating three days before.

Fried Bacala
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Fried Bacala

Recipe by The Cooking LawyerCourse: DinnerCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Easy
Servings

12

servings
Prep time

10

minutes
Cooking time

10

minutes
Total time

20

minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 lbs piece of salted cod / bacala / bacalao

  • 1 gallon of whole milk (for de-salination process) or water

  • 1 cup of flour

  • Canola oil

  • Lemon, cut in half for juicing the fish when it comes out of the fryer

  • Parsley, for garnish

Directions

  • Three days before
  • Begin the de-salination process. In a large bowl with a cover, place the cod in the bowl and cover with whole milk or water. Cover and place in the refrigerator.
  • Change the milk or water every 12 hours for three days.
  • Day of instructions
  • Cut the fish into filets. Part of the cod will be thinner, so keep pieces together of the same thickness so when you fry, you get an even cooking.
  • After you cut the pieces, make sure you remove any extra moisture from the cod with either a paper towel or clean dish towel.
  • In a bowl, add the flour.
  • In a large frying pan, add enough oil to deep fry the fish, about 3 inches (depending on how thick your cod is).
  • Heat oil to 375 degrees.
  • Add the cod making sure each piece is spread out, and the pan is not over full.
  • Cook for 4-5 minutes for thin pieces, then when golden brown, remove and place on a paper towel to absorb the excess oil.
  • Season with lemon juice and sprinkle with parsley.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

  • I tried using masa (finely ground cornmeal) in place of the flour, and it came out well. One way to use up all of the masa I had.

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