Bacalaíto- Battered Onion Rings

Bacalaítos are crispy, greasy, salty, and my absolute favorite fritura (fried food). They are made by frying scoops of a savory batter dotted with salted codfish. Fresh bacalaíto batter is a bit labor-intensive to make, but if you’re game, I have a recipe for you. Bacalaíto batter from scratch isn’t always in the cards for me. That’s why I use boxed bacalaíto mix for these onion rings. Serve with Spicy Mayo-Ketchup.

SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS

• Corn, canola, or vegetable oil, for frying

• 2 (4.5-ounce) packages bacalaíto mix, aka codfish fritter mix

• 1 (12-ounce) bottle light-colored beer, such as Medalla, Miller, or Pabst

• 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more as needed

• 1/2 cup rice flour, plus more as needed

• 2 large yellow onions

DIRECTIONS

1. In a Dutch oven or other large heavy pot, pour in oil to a depth of 2 inches. Bring to 375°F over medium-high heat, using an instant-read thermometer to monitor the temperature.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the bacalaíto mix and the beer, stirring to form a lump-free batter. Let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes; it will thicken. In a separate bowl, mix the all-purpose flour and rice flour.

3. Meanwhile, place a baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 200°F.

4. Cut the onions horizontally into 1-inch-thick rings. You should have about 3 cups. Toss a few at a time in the flour until evenly coated.

5. Dip the onion rings one by one into the rested batter. If they aren’t completely coated, you may need to toss them in the flour again, and then recoat them in the batter. Add flour to the bowl as needed.

6. Use tongs to carefully lay the rings away from you into the hot oil, which should bubble around them. Watch closely and cook for less than a minute, just until the onion rings are golden brown.

7. Line another baking sheet with paper towels and place a wire rack over it. Use tongs to transfer the fried onion rings to the rack to drain. Once your next batch of battered onion rings is in the hot oil, transfer the drained onion rings to the oven to keep warm.

8. Discard any leftover flour and batter.

Excerpted from SPANGLISH: Recipes & Stories. Copyright © 2026 by Monti Carlo. Photographs by Rafael N. Ruiz Mederos. Reproduced by permission of Simon Element, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. All rights reserved.

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