Aki aa Saafish Resipii (Ackee and Saltfish Recipe)

Hey guys. Thanks for joining me once again. In my last post, I tantalized your taste buds with a preview video of the Jamaica's National Dish and my personal favorite—Ackee & Saltfish. Well, you've suffered enough so let's get to satisfying your hunger.

Getting fresh ackee in the US is very difficult due to the high toxicity levels found in the fruit. Because of this, the US has strict regulations about the importation of ackee so we're going to use ackee that has been prepped and canned in brine. You can find it in any Caribbean store and possibly large supermarkets and retailers that have a large Caribbean community in the surrounding area. Although salted cod is also difficult to find, it's easier to locate a supplier, especially those that cater to Hispanic, African and other ethnic communities. Salted Cod can be very expensive depending on where you go. A good substitute is pollock, which is a cousin to the cod. Salted pollock works just as well for a little less.

Before you can use the salted cod or pollock, you need to reconstitute it and get rid of most of the salt by either soaking the cod is water overnight or simply boiling the cod in at least a 3:1 ratio (3 times as much water to 1lb of salted cod). After the cod is cooked, you're gonna pull apart the fish into small pieces. If you got the "boned in" cod (not fillets or deboned), be especially careful about bones. The last thing you need is a run to the ER because somebody swallowed some bone accidentally. Take it from me, it is very painful and if you're lucky, nothing gets punctured. So for this reason, stick to fillets. Once you've mastered the prep, you can graduate to "boned in" fish. Boned-in has a lot more flavor.

Ingredients

• 1 can of Ackee
• 1/2lb of prepped, boned cod/pollock
• 1 cup of diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup of chopped green bell peppers
• 1 medium-sized onion–– Chopped
• 1/2 cup of scallion (green onions)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of chopped garlic
• Thyme
• 1 pinch of ground pimento seeds (all spice)
• 1 pinch of black pepper

Directions

1. Place the skillet on the burner and turn on the range to medium heat.
2. Add your choice of cooking oil to base the pan—preferably one that has a medium to high smoke point like coconut, grapeseed or avocado oils.
3.  Once the pan is hot, add the tomatoes, the yellow and green onions and the garlic.
4. Allow these ingredients to simmer for a couple of minutes. Stir occasionally then add the salted
   cod/pollock. Allow the flavors to simmer down some more.
5. Now it’s time to add the ackee. Now the ackee is very delicate so you don’t want to stir too vigorously and cause it to be mushy. Instead, fold the ackee into the simmering ingredients.
6. Add the grounded pimento, black pepper and thyme then fold all the ingredients together and cover the pot so as to simmer for a few more minutes. Turn the heat down to low.
7. Finally, turn off the range and serve hot.

There are a variety of side options that you can serve this entrée with. Fried or boiled dumplings, white rice, boiled green bananas, Potatoes and yellow yeah, and my favorite, rice and peas. You can even serve it as a topping for hors d'oeuvres. The possibilities of this dish are only limited by your imagination. You'll find varying techniques of creating this dish, But one aspect remains the same––it's enjoyed by many. This is mostly a breakfast dish but if you're anything like my husband and I, you'll eat it anytime, anywhere.

Enjoy and happy eating.