Ackee and Saltfish

5 from 3 votes

Ackee is a popular, Jamaican fruit, and when prepared with a mixture of peppers and salted fish, it creates a breakfast or brunch that is savory, unique and totally delicious!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Jamaican

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 40

Servings

Calories 663kcal

Author Alexandria Drzazgowski

Equipment

Ingredients

12 oz Salt Fish boneless & skinless if possible
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 Small White Onion sliced
½ Red Bell Pepper sliced
½ Green Bell Pepper sliced
3 Cloves Garlic minced
4 Sprigs Thyme
2 Scallions chopped
1 Scotch Bonnet Pepper sliced (seeds removed if you want it less spicy)
1 Roma Tomato chopped
1 15 oz Ackee drained and rinsed
¼ - ½ tsp black pepper (Use code FF20 for 20% off)

Instructions

Run your 12 oz saltfish under water for 20-30 seconds to remove the top layer of salt.
Boil a large pot of water. Add the salt fish and cook for about 15 minutes. When the salt fish is soft to the touch, remove it from the water. Place it in a bowl of cold water to cool. Remove the bone, skin, and scales from the fish if necessary.
When cooled, cut the salt fish into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.
Add 2 tbsp vegetable oil into a large pan over medium-high heat.
Allow the oil to heat up for 1-2 minutes. Once warmed, add the small sliced white onion, ½ red bell pepper, and ½ green bell pepper and saute for 5-7 minutes until the onions start to soften.
Then add the 3 cloves garlic and 3 sprigs thyme and saute again for 30 seconds.
Next add 2 scallions, 1 scotch bonnet pepper, and chopped tomato. Saute for 3-4 minutes.
Next add the cooked salt fish. Saute again until the vegetables are soft and cooked through.
Add the drained and rinsed ackee into the pan and stir gently to combine.
Sprinkle with ¼ tsp black pepper, continuing to cook over low heat for 1-2 more minutes, stirring gently.
Serve and enjoy!

Video

Notes

Recipe reviewed and approved by Deepeeter from @cultureful_catering and Cultureful Treats. Thank you for the help Deepeeter! Copyright The Foreign Fork. For educational or personal use only.

Salt Fish: Look for boneless & skinless saltfish if possible. Traditionally salted cod is used for this recipe, but any white fish will work.
Onion: Medium sized white onion
Bell Peppers: Red and green
Thyme: Fresh thyme is preferred but you could also use dried
Scotch Bonnet Pepper: You can substitute a habanero pepper in a pinch. Add more Scotch bonnet peppers for more spice but be careful--this is a very hot pepper. You can remove the seeds if you want it to be less spicy
Canned Ackee: Drained and rinsed. Be very careful when dumping and rinsing your ackee. It is very fragile and will fall apart easily.
Ackee has a very delicate texture so make sure to be gentle when stirring or you will end up with mush. You also need to be careful not to overcook the ackee. Add it in just for the last few minutes.
Salfish boiled the right way should be about as salty as bacon. If your salt fish is too salty after 15 minutes of boiling, remove the fish from the pot and rinse it with warm water to get rid of some of the excess salt. Then refresh the water in your pot and continue to boil until the salt has reached the desired amount and the saltfish is easily broken apart.
Some recipes call for added bacon to add some extra flavor.

Nutrition