Even though my family isn’t from Jamaica, I grew up eating ackee and saltfish. Our community in New York was a community of Caribbean immigrants. When we had block parties, Easter brunches, and BBQs, the smorgasbord of food was epic. But one of my favorite breakfast/brunch dishes, to this day, is still ackee and saltfish. It’s actually pretty simple to make as long as you can get your hands on the main ingredients.
If you have never had ackee before, when cooked, it may look like scrambled eggs. But ackee is actually a fruit that grows on a tree. When it is ripe, the ackee is removed from the tree, the seeds are taken out, and the fruit is canned for sale. I usually purchase Grace brand ackee. It comes in a 15oz can that can usually be found in the “Caribbean or Ethnic” aisle of your local grocery store.
Let’s get cooking!
Servings: 4-6 · Prep time: 25 min · Cook time: 10 min · Ready in: 35 min · Skill level: Intermediate
Ingredients
- 1 can of Grace ackee (in salted water)
- 1lb of salted cod or pollock
- 1 medium-sized tomato
- 1 small, red or white onion
- 1 scallion stalk
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 scotch bonnet pepper or 8 chili pequenos
- 3 tablespoon of canola or vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon of finely ground black pepper
Method
Open the can of ackee, drain the ackee, and set it aside in a medium-sized bowl.
In a medium sized saucepan, bring 5-6 cups of water to a boil and add in the salt fish.
Allow the salt fish to cook for about 5-6 minutes, drain the water and then add fresh water to the saucepan. Repeat this process 3-4 times. The purpose of this process is to boil out the excess salt from the fish so that it is not too salty. Pinch of a small piece of the fish after the last boil to make sure you like it. If it is still too salty for your taste, just repeat this step until it tastes the way you would like.
Drain the water from the fish and place the fish into a medium sized mixing bowl. Using a fork, flake the fish into small pieces and then set the fish aside.
Dice the tomato, chop the onion, slice the scallion stalk, and mince the garlic and scotch bonnet pepper.
Bring the oil to a medium heat in a large skillet.
Saute the garlic, onion, and tomatoes for 2-3 minutes.
Stir in the flaked fish and black pepper; saute for 2-3 minutes.
Add in the drained ackee and saute for about 4 minutes.
Plate, serve and enjoy. (Best served with callaloo, plantain, and fried dumpling.)
