Name: Ackee and Saltfish
Prep time: 720 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 745 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Jamaican
Ingredients: 300 g boneless salt cod (saltfish); 1 can tinned ackee, drained (or properly ripened fresh ackee, never unripe); 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 count onion, sliced; 4 count green onions (scallions), sliced; 1 count tomato, diced; 0.5 count Scotch bonnet pepper, finely chopped (seeds removed for less heat); 1 count red bell pepper, sliced; 2 sprig fresh thyme; black pepper (to taste)

Method

Soak the saltfish

Cover the salt cod with cold water and soak it in the fridge, changing the water two or three times, to draw out the salt.

Twelve hours is the minimum soak; if the fish is very heavily salted, soak it for a full 24 hours, changing the water every few hours.

720 min

Boil the fish

Drain the saltfish, cover with fresh water, and boil until it is tender and easy to flake, about fifteen minutes.

15 min

Flake the fish

Drain the fish, let it cool slightly, then flake it into small pieces with your fingers, removing any skin or bones.

Confirm the ackee is safe

If using fresh ackee, make sure the pods split open naturally on the tree before picking — unripe ackee is genuinely toxic, so tinned ackee is the safe choice if you are unsure.

This is a real food-safety rule, not a style preference: unopened or unripe ackee contains hypoglycin and must never be eaten.

Sauté the aromatics

Heat the oil in a large pan and sauté the onion, scallions, bell pepper, Scotch bonnet and thyme until softened.

5 min

Add tomato and fish

Stir in the diced tomato and flaked saltfish and cook together for a few minutes until the tomato breaks down.

4 min

Fold in the ackee

Gently fold in the ackee, taking care not to break it up too much, and warm it through without stirring hard.

Ackee is delicate and cooked already if tinned — treat it like a cooked egg, folding gently rather than stirring vigorously.

3 min

Season and serve

Season with black pepper to taste and serve hot with fried dumplings or boiled green banana.

Ackee and Saltfish

Ingredients

Method

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