Filetti di baccala

Ingredients

Salt cod

• 800 gsalt cod, thick loin pieces
• cold water, for soaking

Batter

• 200 gplain flour
• 250 mlcold water
• or 250 ml cold sparkling water
• 1 teaspoonsalt
• 5 gdried yeast
• or 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoonolive oil

To fry

• olive oil or sunflower oil, for deep frying

To serve

• lemon wedges
• coarse salt
• paper, to hold them
• a glass of white wine

Directions

1. Salt cod was cheap and kept without refrigeration. Salt cod is cod preserved in heavy salt and dried. It arrives stiff as a board and far too salty. Rinse the surface salt off under cold water. Put the cod in a large bowl of cold water.
2. Cover it and put it in the refrigerator. Change the water every six to eight hours. Taste a small raw flake at the end. It should taste pleasantly seasoned, not harsh. Soak it longer if it is still too salty. Preparing the fish takes a few minutes. Drain the soaked cod thoroughly. Pat it completely dry with kitchen paper.
3. Pull the skin off and discard it. Cut it into wide flat fillets. Check carefully for bones as you go. Salt cod carries more bones than expected. The batter must be light rather than heavy. Whisk the yeast into the cold water. Add the flour gradually, whisking. Add the salt and the olive oil. Whisk it into a smooth batter.
4. Cover it and leave it for two hours. It should be slightly bubbly and risen. Whisk the flour with the baking powder and salt. Add cold sparkling water gradually. Whisk it into a smooth thin batter.
5. Use it immediately rather than resting it. It should coat a spoon thinly. Add water a spoonful at a time if it is thick. Add flour if it will not cling at all. Frying them needs the right heat. Pour oil into a deep pan to eight centimetres. Never fill a pan more than halfway with oil. Heat the oil to about 180C for frying. A drop of batter should sizzle up at once.
6. Dip a fillet down into the batter. Let the excess drip off for a second. Do not crowd the pan at any point. Fry it for about four minutes. Turn it once over as it colours. Judging them takes a careful look. Break one open to check the first batch.
7. Lift them onto a wire rack over a tray. A rack keeps both sides crisp. Scatter a little coarse salt over them. Taste before salting, since the cod is salty. Serving them is done immediately.

Technique

• The dish comes from the Roman Jewish ghetto, established in fifteen fifty-five, where frying in oil was central to the cooking and salt cod was cheap and kept without refrigeration.
• Catholic Rome also observed meatless Fridays for centuries, which created a wide market for fried salt cod, so the dish served both communities.
• Roman filetti are fried pale gold rather than deep brown, and the batter should be thin enough to see the fish through it.

Substitutions

• Baking powder and sparkling water make a quicker batter than a yeasted one.
• Sunflower oil is cheaper than olive oil and works perfectly well for frying.

Variations

• A yeasted batter left to rest gives the classic Roman lightness.
• Some fryers use a plainer flour and water batter.
• Fried courgette flowers are sold alongside them in Rome.

History

A Roman Jewish ghetto fry sold near Campo de’ Fiori, long a Friday meatless staple.

Frequently asked questions

What is Filetti di baccala?

Filetti di baccala is a street food from Vatican City: salt cod fillets in light batter, deep fried and eaten standing with paper. A Roman Jewish ghetto fry sold near Campo de’ Fiori, long a Friday meatless staple.

How long does Filetti di baccala take to make?

Filetti di baccala takes 20 minutes plus 36 hours soaking of preparation and 20 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 4. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Filetti di baccala?

Yes, within limits. Baking powder and sparkling water make a quicker batter than a yeasted one. Sunflower oil is cheaper than olive oil and works perfectly well for frying.

What is the most important thing to get right in Filetti di baccala?

Pull the skin off and discard it. Cut it into wide flat fillets. Check carefully for bones as you go. Salt cod carries more bones than expected. The batter must be light rather than heavy. Whisk the yeast into the cold water. Add the flour gradually, whisking. Add the salt and the olive oil. Whisk it into a smooth batter.