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Jamaican Ackee & Saltfish

 

My favourite Jamaican dish must be Jamaica's national dish: Ackee & Saltfish. Ackee is the national fruit of Jamaica and saltfish (as the name reveals) is a salt fish, which makes a perfect combination with the soft fruit and the seasonings. 

If you want to cook like a Jamaican, then this recipe is a must-have! I have tried this recipe myself when I got back from Jamaica, and my family and I absolutely loved it. I used slightly different ingredients (since we don't have all the same ingredients here in the Netherlands), but it tasted almost as good as in Jamaica. So if you can't find a Scotch Bonnet pepper, or you're not a big fan of tomato, don't worry! Just add any vegetables you like and make this dish your own. 

 

Ingredients: 

  • 1/2 lb Saltfish (dried, salted codfish, in Dutch: Bakkeljauw)

  •  12 fresh ackees or 1 (drained) can of tinned ackees

  •  1 medium onion

  •  1/2 tsp black pepper

  •  3 tbsp of butter

  •  1/2 a hot chilli pepper (ideally Scotch Bonnet)

  •  1 sweet pepper

  •  1 chopped tomato

  •  1 sprig fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme


Optional ingredients:

  • 2 cloves of garlic

  • 4 Scallion (or spring onions)

  • 6 Slices of bacon

 

Method: 

  1. Cover the saltfish in cold water. Let soak overnight (minimum 8 hours) changing the water several times (this removes most of the salt)

  2. Bring a pan of cold water to the boil and gently simmer the fish for 20 minutes (until the fish is tender)

  3. Chop the onion, sweet pepper, chilli pepper and tomato.

  4. Remove the fish from water and allow to cool.
     Remove all of bones and skin then flake the flesh of the fish

  5. Melt the butter in a frying pan and stir fry the onion, black pepper, sweet pepper, chilli and thyme for about 3 minutes.

  6. Add the tomatoes and flaked fish and stir-fry for another 10 minutes

  7. Add the Ackee and cook until hot throughout. Stir gently to avoid breaking-up the Ackee

 

Makes 6 servings

Jamaican Escovitch Fish

Jamaican Escovitch fish is fish is seasoned, friend and marinated with a peppery vinegar-dressing and decorated with bell peppers, carrots and onions. Personally I am not such a big fan of fish, especially not when the head is still on and the bones are still in the fish, so I did not try this dish myself. However, some of my friends did try the Escovitch fish and they really liked it, which was a reason for me to share this recipe with you.

 

Ingredients:

  • 4 whole red snapper (Kingfish or tuna would do as well)

  • Salt and pepper

  • 1 cup cooking oil

Escovitch Dressing

  • ½ each, green and red bell pepper, julienned

  • 1 carrot, julienned

  • 1 small onion, sliced in rings

  • 3 Tbsp cooking oil (you can use leftover oil from frying fish)

  • 2/3 cup vinegar

  • 10 pimento berries (optional)

  • ½ tsp salt

  • 1 tsp hot pepper sauce

  • ½ scotch bonnet pepper, seed removed and chopped

 

Method:

1. Cut and chop vegetables and put aside.
2. Put vinegar and oil into a saucepan and bring to a boil
3. Add carrots and let simmer for about a minute
4. Add pimento seeds, if using, salt and pepper sauce
5. Add red and green bell peppers a simmer for a minute
6. Add onion and simmer for about 5 minutes or until the onion is transparent
7. Add scotch bonnet pepper and stir
8. Place fish into serving dish and spoon dressing on top

 

Makes 4 servings

Jamaican Brown Stew Fish

One of Jamaica's all round favourite is the Brown Stew Fish. The variations in preparing this dish are huge among the Jamaicans. Everyone has his own method of preparing it, choses his own favourite fish and uses different vegetables, which causes that noBrown Stew Fish is similar as the other. It is therefore totally up to you which fish you would like to use or which vegetables you would like to add to you dish, make it all yours! I found a recipe that is easy to follow and pretty general. You can use the recipe to get the basics right as you give it your own taste.

 

Ingredients: 

  • 6 to 8 whole Parrot fish or snapper (1/2 pound each)

  • 1 tsp Salt

  • 1 tsp Black Pepper

  • 2 stalks Escallion (green onion), chopped

  • 2 sprigs fresh Thyme

  • 1 small Tomato, chopped

  • 1 small Bell pepper, sliced

  • Cooking oil

  • 2 cloves Garlic

  • 2 slices Scotch bonnet pepper

  • 1 Tbsp Margarine

  • 1 Tbsp Ketchup

  • 1 Tbsp Fish and Meat Sauce (or substitute steak sauce)

  • ¼ cup Water

 

Method: 

1. Rinse fish (it should already be scaled and gutted)
2. Add fish to bowl with seasonings (salt, black pepper, escallion, tomato, bell pepper)
3. Mix fish and seasonings and leave to marinate overnight or at least 1 hour before cooking
4. In a large pan, fry garlic and scotch bonnet pepper in cooking oil
5. Dry fish with a paper towel, removing water and seasonings
6. Place fish in pan with hot oil and cook until golden, about 5 minutes on each side; set aside
7. In another pan, melt margarine and sautee seasonings used to marinate fish
8. Add water, ketchup, fish and meat sauce, and salt to taste
9. Add fish to pan and cover with seasonings and sauce; let simmer for 2 minutes

 

Makes about 6 servings

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