How to make Bacalao with Fresh Fish

salted cod

🥗Healthier: fresh cod

💰Cheaper: canned tuna

Fresh cod is lower in sodium, while canned tuna is more affordable.

olive oil

🥗Healthier: avocado oil

💰Cheaper: vegetable oil

Avocado oil offers a similar flavor with a higher smoke point.

black pepper

🥗Healthier: white pepper

💰Cheaper: paprika

White pepper provides a milder flavor, while paprika adds color.

white wine

🥗Healthier: chicken broth

💰Cheaper: water with vinegar

Chicken broth adds flavor without alcohol, while vinegar mimics acidity.

Welcome back to Backwoods Gourmet. Today we're cooking up some fish, so y'all stay tuned.

Today's dish is inspired by the Puerto Rican dish, bakalao, but we're using fresh largemouth bass fillets instead of salted cod.

Demonstrate how to fillet a fish, focusing on removing the cheek meat.

Prepare to cook rice by boiling 1.5 cups of water in a Campmade number eight pot.

Add 3/4 cup of rice and 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the boiling water, stir, cover, and cook for 20 minutes.

For the sofrito, gather diced tomatoes with green chilies, chopped cilantro, fresh garlic, onions, and capers.

Heat a Dutch oven for deep frying while keeping an eye on the rice.

Peel a green plantain, cutting off the ends and removing the husk.

Cut the plantain into 1.5-inch pieces and prepare to fry them in oil.

In a skillet, add 1/4 cup of onion and sauté until starting to brown.

Add 1.5 tablespoons of fresh minced garlic and a bit more oil to the skillet, stirring to avoid burning the garlic.

Add half a can of rotel tomatoes to the skillet and stir.

Check the rice; it should be close to done after about 20 minutes.

Fry the plantains until they start to turn color, then remove them to crush and fry again later.

Return to the sauce, adding the sofrito sauce to the tomatoes, onions, and garlic in the skillet.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Allergens