Ackee and Saltfish

Saltfish and ackee in a white bowl with a spoon in it surrounded by various ingredients

5 from 5 votes

This Ackee and Saltfish recipe is fantastic, y'all! Jamaican cuisine at it's finest full of flavor from the salted cod, ackee and spices! Easy to make, even easier to eat!

Prep Time1 20

Cook Time15

Total Time1 35

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Caribbean

Servings: servings

Calories: 451kcal

Author: Jocelyn Delk Adams

Equipment

Ingredients

8 ounces salted cod boned and skinned
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ cup yellow onion diced small
2 scallions minced, divided
½ cup bell pepper diced small
½ Scotch bonnet pepper stemmed, seeded, minced
3 garlic cloves minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves or 1 tablespoon fresh
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
½ cup tomato diced small
One 19-ounce can ackee drained
Kosher salt
Black pepper

Instructions

To prepare cod, rinse cod under cold water, removing visible salt. Place in bowl and cover with cold water. Soak for one hour, changing the water every 15 minutes. Discard soaking water and place cod in a small saucepan. Cover with fresh water and a lid and bring to a boil. Discard boiling water, cover with fresh water and bring to a boil once more. Fish should flake easily. Break fish up into small pieces with two forks. Set aside.
To a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, scallion whites and light greens, bell pepper, Scotch bonnet pepper and cook until softened and translucent, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, thyme, and paprika and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
Add cod and cook for about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook until all vegetables are tender, about 2 minutes.
Add ackee and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes, careful not to overmix and turn ackee mushy. Turn off heat and stir in dark greens of scallions. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately with rice and peas or plantains.

Notes

Take Your Time with the Cod: Don’t rush the process of rinsing, soaking and boiling the salted cod. This step is crucial for removing excess salt and ensuring the fish has just the right texture. Patience is key here!

Don’t Overmix: When it comes time to add the ackee to your skillet, treat it with a gentle hand. Ackee has a delicate texture, and overmixing can break it down and turn it from creamy to mushy. Just a few stirs here and there until it’s heated through, and you're good!

Add the Ackee Towards the End: Ackee doesn’t need a lot of time to cook, just enough to heat through. Adding it towards the end of your cooking process ensures it stays tender and soaks up all those delicious flavors without overcooking.

Careful with the Seasonings: Saltfish is already pretty salty from its curing process, so when you’re seasoning, go light on the salt and taste as you go. Remember, you can always add more, but you can’t take it away once it’s in there.

Nutrition