Bacalaítos are a super popular snack/meal in Puerto Rico. For this #VeganizedPuertoRican, here are Vegan Bacalaítos, made with all the flavor and none of the cruelty.
Vegan | Soy-free
I decided to incorporate this recipe to the Blog when I asked on Instagram which recipes you wanted to see more, and the most requested was Puerto Rican Vegan Fried Food! Now I have to say, I’m not a huge fan of fried food, that’s why I fry everything in the magical Air Fryer.
However, even I have to admit that there are some foods the Air Fryer can’t tackle, like mofongo (epic fail in the air fryer) & our traditional bacalaitos, which is today’s recipe. So, bacalaitos are codfish fritters found all over the island, from weekend gatherings to roadside kiosks and street fairs. They’re a huge staple that can be eaten as an appetizer or even as a meal.
But wait… bacalaitos are codfish fritters, how do you even begin to make them VEGAN? Well, it’s all in the marinade! The idea came to me out of nowhere! Jackfruit is the kind of base that absorbs any flavor you put into it, so when you marinade it with lemon juice & nori sheet, it’ll take the fishy flavor that we need for this recipe.
Notes:
- Super important that the batter is super thin!
- Bacalaitos are traditionally super salty because store-bought codfish is super salty. If salty food isn’t your thing, feel free to add the amount that you prefer.
- Disclaimer: This is an ORIGINAL RECIPE, like all of my recipes. The reproduction of this recipe, or other of my recipes, to generate sales is strictly prohibited & legal actions will be taken against those who fail to comply. Vegan Bacalaitos by Karla Alverio Valle is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Ingredients
- ½ cup jackfruit, pitted & shredded
- 1 cup flour
- ¾ cup water (+ more if needed)
- 1 nori sheet
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 tbsp garlic, minced
- Optional: 1 tbsp sofrito
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Vegetable oil for frying
Procedure
- To a small bowl add your shredded jackfruit, and mix in the salt, pepper, sofrito & garlic.
- Chop (or rip) the nori sheet in tiny pieces and mix with the jackfruit.
- Squeeze the lemon juice over the jackfruit mixture.
- Cover the bowl and let the flavors mend in the refrigerator.
- Prepare the batter: to a bigger bowl sift the flour and add the water. Whisk together until you get a thin consistency. Note: this batter needs to be runny, thinner than pancake mix. Also taste the mixture to see if salt is needed; bacalaitos tend to be really salty if you want to aim for that, add more salt.
- Heat up the oil in a frying pan; test readiness by dropping a tiny drop of batter into the oil, if it bubbles up, the oil is ready.
- While the oil is heating, add to the batter the jackfruit and mix well.
- Carefully add spoonfuls of the mixture, to the hot oil. Don’t overcrowd the pan, you don’t want them to stick together; this will allow you to flip the bacalaitos comfortably. They should be golden on both sides.
- When ready, remove the bacalaitos from the oil and drain excess with a paper towel.
- Enjoy immediately!
Did you make this recipe? I would love to know how it turned out for you! Tag me in your Instagram creations for a chance to be featured in my insta stories! Use @veggiejeva and the hashtag #veggiejevaskitchen.
When you leave feedback it helps me improve and grow, leave me a comment below.
Vegan Bacalaitos by Karla Alverio Valle is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
3 comments
Wow. I live jackfruit but have only ever had it in Indian cuisine. I’m going to have to try this and see if my Puerto Rican father will eat it!
Please clarify or revise. The Jackfruit is la Jaca or la Yaca, and is a very sweet orange fleshed fruit that tastes like bubblegum to me, and nothing like yuca. Perhaps you meant “pana” or “panapen” which actually is called Breadfruit. They may be shaped similarly on the outside, but taste very different on the inside.
Hi! I revised the entire post. No where in the post it says that Jaca is yuca or pana. The taste of the Jackfruit depends on the ripeness and the cultivation of it. Usually it’s not sweet at all. The recipe is made with jackfruit (jaca).
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