# Sfineġ tal-Bakkaljaw (Maltese Salt-Cod Fritters) Source: https://www.malteserecipes.com/recipes/sfineg-tal-bakkaljaw/ Desalted cod in a light garlic-and-parsley batter, fried golden and served with a Maltese tomato, olive and caper sauce. Prep time: 30 minutes (plus 24-48 hours desalting) Cook time: 50 minutes Servings: 4 people Tags: fish, salt-cod, fritters, fried, traditional, maltese-classic ## Ingredients Measures: **1 tbsp = 15ml; 1 tsp = 5ml.** For local ingredient names and substitutions, see our [guide to Maltese ingredients abroad](/maltese-ingredients-abroad/). - 600g boneless salted cod, before soaking - 200g self-raising flour - 220-260ml cold water, added as needed - 1 garlic clove, very finely grated, for the batter - 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley - 1 tbsp olive oil, for the batter - Black pepper, to taste - Sunflower oil, enough for 4cm depth in a deep heavy pan - 1 tbsp olive oil, for the sauce - 1 onion, finely chopped - 1 garlic clove, finely chopped, for the sauce - 400g canned chopped tomatoes - 60g pitted black olives, halved - 1 tbsp capers, rinsed - 1 tbsp chopped fresh basil - 1 tsp chopped fresh mint - Lemon wedges, to serve ## Instructions 1. **Desalt**: Rinse the cod and cover generously with cold water in a non-reactive container. Refrigerate for 24-48 hours, changing the water three or four times a day; thick, heavily salted pieces may take longer. Follow the packet guidance where given. Before cooking the batch, poach a small piece in fresh water and taste it. If still too salty, continue soaking the uncooked fish with fresh water changes. 2. **Poach the cod**: Drain, cover with fresh water and bring just to a simmer. Poach gently for 8-12 minutes, depending on thickness, until the fish is opaque and flakes. Drain, cool enough to handle, remove any skin or remaining bones and divide into roughly 12 pieces. Pat dry. 3. **Make the sauce alongside the fish**: While the cod poaches, soften the onion in the sauce oil in a separate pan for 8 minutes. Add the sauce garlic for 1 minute, then tomatoes, olives and capers. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until thickened. Stir in basil and mint. Keep warm while frying. 4. **Mix the batter**: Stir flour, batter garlic, parsley and pepper together. Whisk in 220ml cold water and the batter oil, adding more water a little at a time until it coats a spoon but still flows. Do not add salt before tasting the cooked cod. 5. **Fry in batches**: Heat the frying oil to 175°C, with the pan no more than half full. Dip dry cod pieces into the batter, let the excess drip off and lower carefully into the oil. Fry a few at a time for 3-5 minutes, turning, until golden and hot through. Allow about 15-20 minutes for all batches, letting the oil recover between them. Drain on a rack. 6. **Serve**: Serve immediately with the warm sauce in a separate bowl and lemon wedges alongside. ## Begin with Salted Cod Look for bakkaljaw or salt cod, and allow time to remove its preserving salt. Fresh cod does not need desalting but gives a different starting flavour and texture. Soaking time depends on the cure and the thickness of the fish; a fixed overnight soak is not enough for every product. Keep the fish cold throughout soaking. Test a small cooked piece before proceeding: the fish should be pleasantly seasoned, not aggressively salty. Check carefully for bones even when the packet says boneless. ## Keep the Coating Light Dry the poached pieces before dipping them. A thin coating of flowing batter fries more cleanly than a thick lump around wet fish. Keep the sauce separate until eating so the surface stays crisp. Use the [seafood collection](/collections/maltese-seafood/) for other Maltese fish preparations. Leftovers can be refrigerated promptly for up to two days and reheated until piping hot, although the batter is best freshly fried. ## Bakkaljaw in Maltese cooking Preserved salt cod has a place in Maltese cooking alongside fresh fish. Sfineġ tal-bakkaljaw can be made by coating pieces of desalted cod in a savoury batter. This version pairs them with tomato sauce, olives, capers, basil and mint. It uses a quick batter rather than the yeast dough in our anchovy sfineġ. ## Explore the collections - [Maltese fish and seafood](https://www.malteserecipes.com/collections/maltese-seafood/) ## Serve with or cook next - [Insalata tal-Bakkaljaw (Maltese Salt-Cod Salad)](https://www.malteserecipes.com/recipes/insalata-tal-bakkaljaw/): Use desalted cod in a potato, olive and egg salad. - [Sfineġ tal-Inċova (Maltese Anchovy Fritters)](https://www.malteserecipes.com/recipes/sfineg-tal-incova/): Compare these battered cod pieces with anchovies enclosed in yeast dough. - [Arjoli (Maltese Garlic and Tomato Dip)](https://www.malteserecipes.com/recipes/arjoli/): Offer the garlic-and-tomato dip alongside freshly fried fish.