Fried Baccalà, or Baccalà Indorato e Fritto: Artusi, in discussing fried baccalà a century ago, warned his readers not to get too excited about it. Said readers were, however, well off; baccalà was instead a treat for those too poor to eat meat often (much of the Italian population until well after WWII), and was an important part of the Christmas Eve dinner in the poorer households of Altamura, a town in northwestern Puglia.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1/3-1/2 pound (150-200 g) soaked baccalà (see link to instructions below if necessary) per person
- The Egg Batter:
- Flour
- 3 eggs, lightly beaten
- The Flour-And-Water Batter
- Flour
- Water
- A cake of fresh live yeast (1-2 teaspoons)
- Salt, if need be
- For Both:
- Abundant hot olive oil for frying
Preparation:
You can use either an egg batter or a flour-and-water batter, depending upn your personal preference. In either case you will want to soak the baccalà, and then remove the skin and as many of the bones as you can. Figure two-four pieces, though you may want more, per person.
If you're using the egg batter, simply flour the pieces well, shake off the excess, dredge them in the egg, and fry them until golden. Salt will probably not be necessary.
To make the flour-and-water batter, whip the flour and water together to obtain a thin batter, mix in the yeast, add the pieces of baccalà, and let the mixture rise for a half hour. Then fry the pieces.
If you're using the egg batter, simply flour the pieces well, shake off the excess, dredge them in the egg, and fry them until golden. Salt will probably not be necessary.
To make the flour-and-water batter, whip the flour and water together to obtain a thin batter, mix in the yeast, add the pieces of baccalà, and let the mixture rise for a half hour. Then fry the pieces.
