Ackee and Saltfish

Ingredients

Instructions

1. 1

   Put the salted cod in a saucepan with the water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes to remove excess salt and soften the fish. Drain well, then when cool enough to handle, flake into bite-size pieces, discarding any skin or bones.

2. 2

   While the cod cooks, drain the ackee carefully and prep the vegetables: slice the onion and bell pepper, chop the tomato, finely chop the scotch bonnet, pick the thyme leaves, and slice the spring onions. Handle the ackee gently so the pieces stay as intact as possible.

3. 3

   Heat the olive oil in a wide frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, tomato, scotch bonnet, thyme, and black pepper. Sauté for 4 to 5 minutes until the onion softens and the tomato starts to break down, but the peppers still keep a little texture.

4. 4

   Add the flaked cod to the pan and toss gently for 2 minutes to coat it in the vegetable mixture. Taste a small piece before adding any salt; the cod is usually salty enough on its own.

5. 5

   Fold in the drained ackee and most of the spring onions. Cook very gently for 2 to 3 minutes, shaking the pan or turning with a spoon instead of stirring hard so the ackee does not mash. The dish is ready when the ackee is heated through and still holds soft curds.

6. 6

   Scatter over the remaining spring onions and serve immediately. Traditionally, this is excellent with fried dumplings, boiled green banana, roasted breadfruit, or plain rice.

Nutrition per serving

Notes

• •If the salted cod is very heavily cured, change the water once during boiling or simmer 5 minutes longer.
• •For a beginner-friendly version, keep the scotch bonnet deseeded; add more only if you want pronounced heat.
• •Use a wide pan so the ackee warms quickly and needs less stirring, which helps keep its shape.
• •Do not overcook the ackee; it becomes mushy if stirred too much or left on the heat too long.

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