Baccalà fritto (fried salted cod)
- 700g dried salted cod
- 40g 00 flour
- 500ml sunflower oil for frying
- 1 lemon, cut into 4 wedges to serve
To prepare the Baccalà (salted cod), rinse the salted cod under cold running water. Place the salted cod in a glass bowl and cover completely with cold water by approximately 5 cm. Place the bowl in the fridge and soak for 2-3 days (see note), changing the water 3 times a day.
Lay the salted cod on a plate and run your fingers along the length of the fillet. When you feel the tip of a fish bone, use clean tweezers to grasp the tip of the bone and pull it out. Continue down the line and along the length of the fillet to feel for any additional bones and pull them out. Cut the salted cod into 5cm long, evenly sized pieces.
Dust a piece of salted cod in the flour, shaking off any excess. Place the fish onto a plate. Repeat with the remaining pieces of cod.
Place the sunflower oil in a deep-fryer or large heavy-based saucepan. Heat to a temperature between 180°C and 190°C. If you don’t have a thermometer, test a cube of bread – it will turn golden in 15 seconds if the oil is hot enough. Carefully fry the cod in batches for 4-6 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Transfer the fish to a plate lined with paper towel. Serve immediately with lemon wedges– buon appetito.
Note: Salted cod differs in the degree of saltiness. For this reason, this recipe requires 2 or 3 days soaking. To test the level of saltiness, cut a small piece of salted cod after 2 days soaking and fry it. Taste the piece of salted cod which should be a little salty. If it is overwhelmingly salty when testing, soak for 3 days instead of 2.
