Crispy Salt Cod Bites Paired with Four Bright Accompaniments

Info

• Prep time: 20 minutes
• Cooking: 40 minutes
• Overall: 25 hours 5 minutes (the bulk of it is the cod soaking)
• Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 pound salt cod
• Vegetable oil, for frying
• 3 cups flour
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups 2-percent milk
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup fresh cilantro, stems and leaves, finely chopped
• Creamy Mustard Sauce (below)
• Spicy Orange Chili Sauce (below)
• Pineapple Chutney (below)
• Shredded Zucchini Salad (below)

Creamy Mustard Sauce

• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, crushed in a mortar and pestle
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 4 sweet gherkins, minced
• Salt

Orange Chili Sauce

• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
• 1 green finger chile, roughly chopped
• 1 red finger chile, roughly chopped
• 1 large orange, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1/4 red onion, roughly chopped

Pineapple Chutney

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 red onion, finely diced
• 1 pineapple, peeled and cut into a large dice
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon fennel seed
• Salt

Shredded Zucchini Salad

• 1/4 red onion, julienned
• Juice of 2 limes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
• 1 large zucchini, grated

Instructions

1. Submerge the salt cod in 1 gallon of water and let it soak 24 hours, swapping out the water 2 to 3 times, until the fish no longer tastes salty.
2. Fill a pot about one-third of the way with oil and bring it to 350 degrees F. Put paper towels on a baking sheet. Lift the cod out of the water, dry it with paper towels and chop it roughly, then pulse it in a food processor until shredded.
3. Take the cod out of the processor, press it with your hands to release extra water, and transfer it to a bowl.
4. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the milk and eggs, then pour that into the dry mixture. Fold in the cod and cilantro. Drop a tablespoon of the batter into the hot oil and fry, turning as it cooks, until the fritter is golden and done, roughly 3 minutes. Move it to the prepared baking sheet. Continue with the rest of the batter.
5. Plate the fritters alongside the Creamy Mustard Sauce, Spicy Orange Chili Sauce, Pineapple Chutney and Shredded Zucchini Salad.
6. For the mustard sauce, stir together the sour cream, mustard, coriander seeds, honey and gherkins in a bowl, add salt to taste, then cover and refrigerate until you are ready to serve.
7. For the orange chili sauce, blend the salt, sugar, vinegar, green chile, red chile, orange and red onion until smooth.
8. For the chutney, warm the oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the red onion and cook until soft and translucent. Stir in the pineapple, sugar, vinegar and fennel seeds. Cook until the pineapple softens a little and the liquid has cooked down, 7 to 10 minutes. Add salt to taste.
9. For the salad, combine the red onion, lime juice and salt in a bowl, stir, and let sit 5 minutes. Add the cherry tomatoes, cilantro and zucchini and toss together.