Ackee and saltfish
Ackee and saltfish is often called the national dish of Jamaica, and makes a delicious, quick weekend breakfast. It's particularly delicious served with callaloo and dumplings.
- Cooking:
- Serves: 4 persons
Ingredients
- 225g of saltfish, rinsed and soaked overnight
- 2tbsp of vegetable oil
- ½onion, finely hcopped
- 1red pepper, sliced
- 2garlic cloves, crushed
- 1Scotch Bonnet chilli, deseeded and finely chopped, or just use 1/3 to make it milder
- 2tomatoes, deseeded and chopped
- 2spring onions, chopped
- 3sprigs of thyme, leaves only
- 150ml of water
- 540g of can of ackee, drained
Instructions
Step 1
Put the saltfish in a pan of water and bring it to the boil. Simmer until the fish is cooked through and soft; the time this takes will vary depending on the type of fish, so expect anything from 8 up to 20 minutesStep 2
Once cooked, drain. When it is cool, break the fish into smaller pieces, checking for bones and removing them as you go and removing the skin as wellStep 3
Pour the oil into a frying pan and fry the onion, red pepper, garlic and Scotch bonnet over a medium heat until they soften, without letting them colour; 8-10 minutesStep 4
Add the saltfish, cook for 5 minutes, then add the tomatoes, spring onions, thyme and measured waterStep 5
Cook for a further 5-8 minutes until the tomatoes and spring onions softenStep 6
Gently stir in the ackee, being careful not to break the curds up. Warm through for 2-3 minutesStep 7
Serve with Seasoned Callaloo and Fried Dumplings or Festival (see pages 111, 224 and 223 of Motherland), or other hard food