Torrejitas de bacalao

As tradition built it

Torrejitas de bacalao

Makes about 20 to 24 fritters. About 30 minutes active, plus a 2-hour to overnight rest.

Ingredients

• 2½ cups desalted, cooked, shredded salt cod
• 1 onion, chopped
• ½ cup parsley, chopped
• ½ cup chives, chopped
• 2 green ají, chopped
• 1 tsp ají chombo or hot sauce, chopped
• 1 tsp curry powder
• ½ tsp black pepper
• as needed flour and baking powder, to a thick batter

Method

1. Combine the shredded salt cod with the onion, parsley, chives, green ají, ají chombo, curry powder and black pepper.
2. Bind with enough flour and baking powder to form a thick, dropping batter.
3. Rest, refrigerated, for at least 2 hours, ideally overnight.
4. Fry by the spoonful in hot oil until golden.

What a modern chef changes

A properly staged desalting, and a dehydrator-finished crust

Rung 05

Method

1. Desalt the cod over multiple changes of cold water across at least 24 hours, rather than a single rinse, following Rung 5's instruction that this staged rehydration is doing the seasoning work, not merely removing excess salt.
2. Grind the dried spice element, ají chombo and curry seed if using whole spice, fresh in a spice grinder just before mixing, rather than reaching for pre-ground curry powder alone.
3. Fry to a lighter colour than usual, then finish briefly in a dehydrator run hot, or a very low oven, to drive off surface moisture and firm the crust further without darkening it past the point Bramwell's own showcase version would allow.