Baccalà fritto croccante in pastella

Ingredienti

• 1 kilogram (2.2 pound) dry salted cod fillet (cut into 8-9 cm pieces)
• all-purpose flour
• vegetable oil for frying ((sunflower, canola etc))
• 300 ml beer (cold )
• 100 grams (1 cup minus 1 tablespoon) all-purpose flour
• 100 grams (10 tablespoons) corn starch
• 10 grams (2 teaspoons) baking powder
• 1/3 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 batch Skordalia (see recipe here)
• 4 small beets boiled (or this simple beetroot salad)

Preparazione

1. 1

   --- Desalt The Cod: ---

2. 2

   Rinse cod under running water to remove excess salt.

3. 3

   Soak cod in 5-6 liters of cold water for 24 hours. Change the soaking water with fresh at least 7-8 times in total.

4. 4

   Scale the skin using a butter knife. Then rinse with water to remove any remnant scales.

5. 5

   Drain the fish in a strainer and then pat dry with paper towels.

6. 6

   Coat the fish in flour and shake to remove excess. Allow to rest on a plate while you prepare the batter.

7. 7

   --- Make The Frying Batter: ---

8. 8

   Mix the dry ingredients (flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt) in a bowl.

9. 9

   Pour in the beer. Stir gently but quickly with a spoon it's okay if it's a little bit lumpy, break only the larger lumps with the back of the spoon (See Note 1 below).

10. 10

    Freeze the batter for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oil.

11. 11

    --- Fry The Cod: ---

12. 12

    Half-fill a large frying pan with oil (a thick-bottomed one) or use a shallow cooking pot. Heat over medium-high to high heat depending on how strong is your stove.

13. 13

    Heat oil to 180°C / 356°F.

14. 14

    Fry the fish. Give a stir to the batter and dip a piece of the fish in it, holding it up for 2 seconds to dredge excess batter. Carefully dip it into the hot oil (See Note 2 below).

15. 15

    Fry 2-3 pieces at a time and allow the temperature to drop to 160°C /320°F. Flip the fish after the first 3-4 minutes. Fry for 7-8 minutes overall (See Note 3 below).

16. 16

    Serve. Transfer the fish to a cooling rack to drain excess oil. And then serve with some Skordalia and boiled beetroots.