Bakaliaros Skordalia — Beer-Battered Salt Cod with Garlic Potato Purée

⏱ 60 min · Serves 4

The Greek taverna classic: cloud-light beer-battered salt cod, shatteringly crisp, piled next to a punchy garlic-and-olive-oil potato skordalia. Salty, garlicky, gloriously old-school — best eaten with cold beer and a squeeze of lemon.

Per serving: 710 kcal · 45.0g protein · 52.0g carbs · 36.0g fat

Ingredients

• 600g salt cod fillet, soaked in cold water for 24–36 hours (change water 4–5 times)
• 500g floury potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 4–5 fat garlic cloves, peeled
• 120ml good Greek extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp cold water (or potato cooking water)
• 150g plain flour, plus 50g extra for dusting
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 200ml cold lager
• Pinch of salt for the batter
• 1 litre sunflower oil, for frying
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges
• Flat-leaf parsley, to serve
• Freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Drain the soaked cod, pat very dry and cut into 8 chunky pieces, removing any bones. Taste a tiny raw sliver — if still very salty, soak another few hours.
2. Boil the potatoes in unsalted water until completely tender, about 15 minutes. Drain well and let them steam dry for 2 minutes.
3. Crush the garlic to a paste with a good pinch of salt using a mortar and pestle.
4. Mash the hot potatoes until smooth (never a food processor, or they go gluey). Beat in the garlic paste, then drizzle in the olive oil a little at a time, beating constantly.
5. Loosen with the vinegar and cold water until you have a thick, spoonable purée. Season with salt and pepper and set aside at room temperature.
6. Whisk the 150g flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt with the cold lager until just smooth — a thick, coating batter. Rest 10 minutes.
7. Heat the sunflower oil in a deep pan to 180°C.
8. Dust each piece of cod in the extra flour, shake off the excess, then dip into the batter, letting the surplus drip away.
9. Fry in batches of 3–4 for 4–5 minutes, turning once, until deep golden and puffed. Drain on a rack, not paper.
10. Serve immediately with a generous spoonful of skordalia, lemon wedges and a scatter of parsley.