I love the food in Puerto Rico. I adore mofongo. Flan. Arroz con pollo. At Christmastime, coquito is a must in your glass. But in my travels to the island, there’s one thing I still think about long after I come home. One thing that never fails to wow. One taste that I can’t forget.

It’s called bacalaito. 

Now stop me if you’re imagining something like Accras, or a traditional codfish fritter, or a codfish patty. Yes, this is made out of bacalao, yes it’s deep-fried, but that’s where everything thing else ends. 

A street food staple in Puerto Rico, bacalaito  is an almost impossibly thin, deep-fried slice of codfish and dough that somehow manages to provide the perfect crunch and melt in your mouth simultaneously. 

It’s unique and delicious, every one with a unique shape and texture, filled with crunchy corners and holes and flakes of delight. 

The best I’ve ever had is in the street food stalls of Loiza, about a half an hour’s drive from the heart of San Juan, set along the shimmering golden sands of Puerto Rico’s northern coast. 

Head to a town like Piñones, and you’ll find rows of stalls and food shacks, each with its own spin on bacalaito, and you can’t go wrong. 

They go especially well with a cold Medalla, or, if you’re lucky, a glass of Ron del Barrilito. 

The Caribbean is certainly codfish country, but this, this golden-brown wonder, is one of the most delicious things in the entire region. 

You can thank me later.