pan-fried cod fritters bound with cassava and tapioca, with a tangy date-lime dipping sauce

Salt cod does not happen on a whim, and this dish tells you that up front. If you want these fritters tonight, the soak needed to start that morning, or the day before. Change the water 2 or 3 times over that soak so the salt draws out slowly, and let that quiet planning be the discipline the elimination phase actually asks of you, the ordinary kind: showing up for the boring part ahead of time.

Cod's iodine is what your body leans on to build thyroid hormone from scratch, and this fillet is a clean way to get it. This fritter adds one dependable, mineral-dense meal to a long string of them, and that slow accumulation is the kind of steady work a body does on its own timeline, one fritter at a time, on its way toward Remission.

Shred the fish by hand, feel for any stray bone, and let that close attention be part of what you owe the animal that made the meal possible. Shape the fritters, watch the crust turn gold in the pan, and eat the first one warm, standing at the stove if that is what today allows.

Ingredients

Fritters

• 1 pack de-boned salted cod (300 to 340 g)
• Water, for soaking and boiling the salted cod
• 1 small red onion, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed or minced
• 3 stalks green onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, finely chopped
• Juice of 1/2 lime
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cassava flour
• 2 tablespoons tapioca starch
• 1/4 cup full-fat, additive-free coconut milk
• 4 tablespoons coconut oil, divided

Date-lime sauce

• 4 medjool dates, pitted (soaked in hot water 10 minutes if firm)
• Juice of 2 limes (about 3 tablespoons)
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup water
• 1 to 2 tablespoons maple syrup, to taste
• pinch of sea salt

Method

Start by drawing the salt out of the cod. Cover the fish with cool water and let it soak, changing the water a couple of times over several hours or overnight if you can. When it has soaked, transfer it to a pot, cover with fresh water, bring to a simmer, and cook until the cod is tender and flakes apart, roughly 15 to 20 minutes. Drain it, let it cool enough to handle, then shred it finely with your fingers or two forks, checking for any stray bones. Taste a small piece. If it is still very salty, give it another rinse, since the salt level drives how the whole batch tastes.

In a large bowl, combine the shredded cod with the red onion, garlic, green onion, cilantro, thyme, and lime juice. Add the cassava flour and tapioca starch and toss to coat, then pour in the coconut milk and mix until everything holds together in a soft, scoopable dough. If it feels too wet to shape, add a little more cassava flour a spoonful at a time; if it feels dry, add a splash more coconut milk.

Scoop portions of the mixture and press each into a small, flat patty about the size of your palm. Flatter fritters cook through more evenly than thick ones.

Heat about 2 tablespoons of the coconut oil in a skillet over medium heat. Working in batches so the pan is not crowded, lay the fritters in and fry until deeply golden on the underside, about 3 to 4 minutes, then turn and fry the other side until golden and cooked through. Add the remaining coconut oil as needed between batches. Drain the finished fritters on a clean towel.

For the sauce, blend the pitted dates with the lime juice, apple cider vinegar, and 1/4 cup water until smooth, adding more water for a thinner sauce. Taste and stir in maple syrup and a pinch of salt until it is balanced between tangy and sweet, the same dark sweet-sour note tamarind would give. Serve the fritters warm with the sauce alongside for dipping.

Air fryer variation

Air fryer suits fritters well and uses far less oil. Brush or mist the shaped fritters lightly with coconut oil and arrange them in a single layer in the basket. Cook at about 380 F for roughly 10 to 14 minutes, turning once halfway, until golden and cooked through. Times vary by machine and fritter thickness, so check a couple of minutes early.

Notes

The binder here is cassava flour plus tapioca starch plus coconut milk, which is already AIP elimination-compliant. No egg, no breadcrumb, no swap needed.

Salt cod varies a lot in saltiness. The soak is not optional, and it is worth tasting before you add anything else, since you cannot pull salt back out once it is in the dough.

The source served these with a tamarind dipping sauce. Tamarind is a legume and is excluded on AIP elimination, so the sauce here is rebuilt from dates, lime, apple cider vinegar, and maple. Blended dates give the dark body and sweetness, and the lime and vinegar give the sourness, so it lands in the same tangy-sweet place without the legume.

*Adapted from healmedelicious.com*