"Twice-fried" isn't only for french fries. To prepare the Puerto Rican cod fritters called bacalaítos, a seasoned flour batter incorporating shredded fish is first ladled into oil over a relatively low flame, till the fritters take their shape and cook through.
Then the bacalaítos are transferred to a second pot on higher heat (note the scorch marks), creating a crispier outside to complement the chewier inside ($2).
A similar twice-fried process is employed for alcapurrias ($2). When prepared en masse and stacked in a window, these frituras typically have a roundish "torpedo" shape; when prepared one by one, often they're flatter and less regular in appearance. For each of these alcapurrias, a paste of guineo and white yautía was spread across a plate; ground beef was spooned on top, then sealed in with the back of the spoon. After mine had been carefully pried from its plate, deep-fried, and drained, I was pleased to find that the shell was thinner than your average fritura. The filling had the pleasant oiliness of a good sloppy joe.
Also shown: an order of bacalao y guineo (Bah-cah-lao ee ghih-Nay-oh, $8). By weight, the proportion of cod to green (unripe) banana was about one to four, which might seem stingy for the price; in fact the salty fish and starchy banana balanced each other very well, thank you.
Festival Cultural de la Calle 152
152nd St. between Jackson and Union Aves., Woodstock, Bronx
www.Facebook.com/events/779083672116075
(The 2014 festival was held on May 31)
