Bacalao Fish Dish Greek Independence Day

In anticipation of Greek Independence Day on March 25, we have provided a delicious recipe for the Greek national dish, Bakaliaros (fried Cod) with Skordalia (mashed potatoes and garlic), courtesy of MyGreekDish.com.

Traditionally, this dish is made with salted cod fish soaked in water for at least 48 hours. That’s a lengthy process! So here’s a shorter, tangier twist to this traditional dish:

Cod Fritters with Garlic Potato Puree (Bakaliaros Skordalia)

Bakaliaros Recipe

Ingredients for cod fritters:

2.5 pounds of salted cod – to skip the unsating procedure buy fresh cod fish

Vegetable oil for frying

2 ½ cups of water

2 ½ cups of all-purpose flour

1 1/3 cups of beer

3 ½ tsps. Of dry yeast

A pinch of salt

 

Instructions for cod fritters

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 15 minutes

4 portions

 

1. See recipe link for unsating procedure if not using fresh cod.
2. Dry the fish well and remove all bones. Then cut into small bites, 4-5 cm.
3. For the batter, add into a bowl the beer, water, yeast, and whisk until yeast has dissolved. Add rest of ingredients after and whisk until the batter is smooth.
4. In a deep frying pan, heat the oil on high. For the next steps, it’s suggested to fry the cod in batches.
5. Take a cod piece and dredge in flour, then deep into the batter. Spoon remove the cod from the batter and slowly add it to the hot oil. Dip the spoon in water and repeat this step until all cod are frying.
6. Deep fry the cod, flipping them with a spoon, until nicely colored on all sides.
7. Remove from the pan and place on some on kitchen paper to drain.

Skordalia Sauce Recipe

 

Ingredients for Skordalia sauce:

2 pounds of potatoes, boiled

4 cloves of garlic

½ cups of olive oil

½ cup of milk

1/3 cup of red wine vinegar (substitute: juice from 2 lemons)

Pince of salt

 

Instructions for Skordalia sauce

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

8 portions

1. Wash thoroughly the potatoes. Peel and place them in a large pot. Cover with cold water and bring them to a boil. Lower the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for about 30 minutes.
2. Drain them in colander and keep ½ cup of the water
3. In a food processor, add the ½ cup of water, garlic, red wine vinegar, and salt. Blend until garlic is diluted. Cut potatoes into pieces and add to blender.
4. Blend to combine.
5. Pour in a bit of the olive oil a little bit at a time until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
6. Serve with your cod fritters!

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