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1
Place the cod in a 3-quart saucepan.
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2
Pour in enough water to cover by at least three fingers.
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3
Bring the water to a boil over high heat.
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4
Adjust the heat to simmering and cook just until the cod starts to flake, from 5 to 12 minutes, depending on the size and shape of the piece(s) you are cooking.
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5
Drain the salt cod thoroughly and let stand until cool enough to work with.
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6
Meanwhile, put the bread in a small bowl and pour in enough cold water to cover.
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7
Let stand several minutes, until soaked through.
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8
While the bread is soaking, slip the pepper halves into the water with the cod.
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9
Simmer 2 minutes, fish them out, and let cool.
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10
Squeeze the excess water from the bread and place the squeezed bread in a mixing bowl.
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11
Pat the pepper dry and cut it into fine dice and add to the bread along with the eggs, pepper, parsley, and capers.
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12
Beat with a fork until the eggs and bread are thoroughly mixed.
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13
Flake the cooled salt cod into 1-inch pieces and stir into the egg mixture.
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14
Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, about 30 minutes.
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15
At this point, test the consistency of the cod mixture.
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16
Roll a heaping tablespoon into a ball; the cod mixture should be firm enough to hold its shape.
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17
If not, add bread crumbs, about 1 teaspoon at a time, until it is firm enough.
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18
In a separate mixing bowl, whisk the beer, egg yolks, and lemon zest until smooth.
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19
Add 1 3/4 cups of flour and whisk just until smooth.
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20
Let the batter stand at room temperature at least 15 minutes or up to 1 hour.
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21
Pour enough vegetable oil into a deep 12-inch skillet to fill it by 1 1/2 inches.
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22
Heat over medium heat until it registers 350 F on a deep-frying thermometer.
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23
Preheat the oven to Warm or to the lowest setting, and line a baking sheet with paper towels.
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24
While the oil is coming to temperature, form the fritters: Roll 1 tablespoon of the salt-cod mixture between your palms into an egg shape.
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25
Repeat until you have used up all the mixture.
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26
You should have about twenty-four fritters.
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27
Dredge the fritters in the additional flour to coat lightly on all sides, and drop them into the batter.
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28
With a wire skimmer, remove a few of the fritters at a time from the batter, allowing excess batter to drip back into the bowl.
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29
Slip the fritters into the oil.
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30
Add only as many fritters as will float freely in the oil.
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31
Dont overcrowd the pan or the oil temperature will drop significantly and the fritters will be soggy and oily.
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32
Fry, turning the fritters as necessary, until they are evenly golden brown on all sides, about 5 minutes.
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33
While the fritters are frying, adjust the heat as necessary to keep the temperature of the oil as close to 350 F as possible.
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34
Transfer the fritters with the skimmer to the prepared baking sheet.
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35
Keep them warm in the oven and repeat as necessary with the remaining fritters.
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36
Serve hot, with lemon slices, if you like.
