Tuesday, April 5, 2016

TRINIDAD SALT COD FRITTERS



I saw this recipe in Food and Wine the other day.  It was one of those moments when a visual cue of a recipe, the contents of your refrigerator and your mood for a certain food all collide into one Perfect Storm of a Foodie Moment.  Next thing you know, its there in front of you.  Color me blessed that I can say that.  It happened twice in the past couple weeks, once with these amazing fritters and once with a recipe I will share in the next couple days.   Both times we were rewarded with amazing deliciousness.

TRINIDAD SALT COD FRITTERS

This recipe is adapted to suit me and my family's taste.  I combined two recipes. The first one I used for the pepper sauce. If you want to see the original recipe, go here to Food and Wine. The second one is the one I used for the actual fritters.  If you want to see that recipe at Food and Wine, go here. After looking at the original recipe you might ask why I chose to use sparkling water.

PEPPER SAUCE
1/2 small onion, coarsely chopped
6 scallions, green parts only, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 roasted red bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 roasted serrano chile, seeded and coarsely chopped
1/2 small Scotch bonnet chile, seeded and minced
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons peanut oil
Salt

FRITTERS
1 1/2 pound dried salt cod, rinsed in several changes of cool water and soaked overnight
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup cornstarch
4 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 1/2 cups cold sparkling water (Yes, it made a difference)
1 large onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
3 garlic cloves, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
1 small red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 small green bell pepper
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
1 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon butter
Vegetable oil, for frying



For the pepper sauce:
In a food processor, puree the onion, scallions, garlic, bell pepper and serrano. Pulse to incorporate. Let cool to room temperature. Add the lime juice and peanut oil and season with salt. Pulse briefly, then transfer to a serving bowl.

For the fritters:
Saute onions and peppers in a tablespoon of butter until softened. Add in garlic, cook one minute more.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Rinse the cod and pat dry. Using your hands, shred it into small pieces. In a large bowl, whisk the flour with the baking powder. Add the eggs and sparkling water and whisk just until combined. Fold in the chopped cod along with the onion, garlic, bell pepper and black pepper.

In a large, deep skillet, heat 1 inch of vegetable oil to 375°. Working in batches, scoop tablespoon-size mounds of batter into the hot oil and fry, turning once, until the fritters are deeply golden all over, about 1 1/2 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Transfer to a platter and serve hot, with the pepper sauce.

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