Which Spanish tapa consists of battered, fried strips of salt cod?

The Spanish tapa of battered, fried strips of salt cod is called soldaditos de Pavía.

The name means “little soldiers of Pavía.” The dish is traditionally associated with Madrid and Andalusia, where pieces of salted cod are soaked to remove excess salt, coated in batter, and fried until crisp. They are often recognizable by a strip of roasted red pepper laid across the fish, resembling a soldier’s sash.

The military name is linked to the Battle of Pavia in 1525, when troops commanded by Charles V defeated the French army. The dish’s yellow-gold batter and red pepper decoration are said to evoke military uniforms, although the precise origin story is culinary folklore rather than a firmly documented invention.

Soldaditos de Pavía are sometimes confused with generic fried cod or fish fritters. Their defining feature is bacalao, the salted cod, prepared in narrow strips rather than as a whole fillet. They are commonly served as a snack or tapa, especially in traditional taverns.