Ackee and Saltfish

The story

Ackee and Saltfish is a Jamaican main with a clear sense of place. Ackee was brought to Jamaica from West Africa and became deeply embedded in the island’s cooking. Combined with salted cod, it forms Jamaica’s national dish. The recipe below keeps the defining ingredients and technique intact while giving practical metric quantities and enough detail for a home cook to judge texture, seasoning and doneness rather than simply follow a timer.

Ingredients

• 540 g canned ackeedrained gently
• 300 g salt codsoaked and desalted
• 160 g onionsliced
• 70 g Spring onionssliced
• 120 g red sweet peppersliced
• 180 g tomatochopped
• 0.5 piece Scotch bonnet chillifinely sliced
• 3 piece fresh thymesprigs
• 0.5 tsp black pepper
• 25 ml neutral oil

Method

1. Desalt the cod by soaking with water

   Desalt the cod by soaking with water changes, then simmer 8–10 minutes. Drain, cool and flake into fairly large pieces.

   Tip: Add ackee only at the end and fold, never beat. Taste the saltfish after boiling before seasoning the pan. Avoid: Fresh unripe ackee can be dangerous; use properly prepared canned ackee unless expert. Over-stirring breaks cooked ackee into paste and poorly desalted cod dominates the dish.

2. Heat oil and soften onion, spring onion,

   Heat oil and soften onion, spring onion, sweet pepper, tomato, thyme and Scotch bonnet for 5–6 minutes. The vegetables should soften but retain some shape.

3. Add saltfish and black pepper and toss

   Add saltfish and black pepper and toss for 2 minutes so the fish absorbs the aromatic vegetable juices.

4. Add drained canned ackee last

   Add drained canned ackee last. Fold it through very gently with a wide spatula; ackee is delicate and can become a mash if stirred aggressively.

5. Cook only 2–3 minutes until ackee is

   Cook only 2–3 minutes until ackee is hot. Taste before adding salt because the cod may already provide enough.

   Look for: ackee is hot

6. Serve immediately with fried dumplings, breadfruit, yam,

   Serve immediately with fried dumplings, breadfruit, yam, green banana or other breakfast accompaniments.

   Look for: Ackee pieces are hot and intact, fish flakes remain visible and no excess liquid sits in the pan.

Nutrition

per serving

Estimated from the listed ingredients and default serving size. Actual values vary with brands, trimming, absorption and cooking losses.