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Golden frittelle di baccalà piled on a wooden board with lemon wedges and a small bowl of aioli

Frittelle di Baccalà: Crispy Venetian Cod Fritters

Flaked salt cod folded into a sparkling-water batter and fried until golden, a Venetian bacaro classic.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Appetizer / Snack
Cuisine: Italian (Venetian)
Calories: 320
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Baccalà
  • 500 g salt cod (baccalà), soaked and ready to cook buy it pre-soaked (ammollato), or soak dried salt cod yourself for 48 hours, changing the water 3-4 times
Batter
  • 150 g all-purpose flour
  • 200 ml sparkling water, cold
  • 1 large egg
  • 7 g fresh yeast or instant dry yeast fresh / 1 tsp dry; or use 1 tsp baking powder for a quicker, denser fritter
  • 2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • salt pinch, optional; taste the fish first, baccalà is often salty enough on its own
  • 1 liter sunflower oil, for frying

Method
 

Prep the baccalà
  1. Rinse the soaked baccalà under cold water, pat dry with paper towels, and remove any skin or bones.
  2. Flake the fish into small, pea-size pieces with your fingers or two forks.
Make the batter
  1. In a bowl, whisk the flour, egg, and sparkling water until smooth with no lumps.
  2. Stir in the yeast (or baking powder), parsley, garlic, and black pepper.
  3. Fold in the flaked baccalà until evenly coated. Fry a small test spoonful in hot oil for 30 seconds, taste, and add a pinch of salt only if it needs it.
  4. Cover and rest the batter 30 minutes at room temperature if using yeast, or fry right away if using baking powder.
Fry the fritters
  1. Heat the oil in a heavy pot to 170C/338F, checking with a kitchen thermometer.
  2. Drop tablespoons of batter into the oil a few at a time, don't crowd the pot.
  3. Fry 3 to 4 minutes, turning once, until deep golden and puffed.
  4. Lift out with a slotted spoon, drain on a wire rack over paper towels, and serve hot.

Notes

  • Taste the batter before frying and adjust salt, baccalà varies in saltiness batch to batch.
  • Keep a thermometer clipped to the pot, guessing the oil temperature leads to soggy fritters.
  • Buy pre-soaked baccalà ammollato from a fish counter to skip the 48 hour soak.
  • Fry a single test fritter first to check seasoning and oil temperature before the full batch.