Saltfish fritters are a Jamaican favourite! And Ackee & Saltfish is our national dish. I’ve married the two and created these ackee stuffed saltfish fritters, the best of both in one amazing bite!
This idea has been in my mind for easily over eight years. Since sharing it with hubby he has been nagging gently reminding me to bring it to life. He was beyond elated when he came home to see them made.
They turned out better than I imagined!
Filling them with the ackee was not the pain I thought it would be. Now if I were making 500 of them I’d most likely be singing a different tune. Having worked in a hotel pastry kitchen I know too well the joys of filling teeney tiny pastries with cream, that then proceed to explode onto your clothes, or break, or just spill everywhere for no good reason other than to see if it can cause you to burst into to tears and have nightmares involving mini profiterole monsters! 🤣
There was happily none of that drama to be found here! Only pure deep fried, golden brown, deliciousness!
How to stuff saltfish fritters
To pipe the filling in I don’t use a special tip. There is one that made for filling eclairs, you could use that but then you’d have to almost puree your ackee to ensure nothing gets stuck in the tip.
I use, disposable piping bags:
And a plain tip, number 10 is a good size. Even if some of the pieces are chunky, they should still make it through the tip.
In Part 1 I talked more about the four dipping sauces. The recipes are included below but these are delicious on their own.
What do you think? As always, feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section below. If you make this or any other recipe from the site, be sure to #amazingackee so that I can see your posts across social media. Thanks for stopping by, until next time.
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Ackee Stuffed Saltfish Fritters
Ingredients
- 1 cup Saltfish cooked and flaked
- 1 cup Unbleached all-purpose flour***
- 1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Dried thyme
- 2 tsps Cilantro finely chopped
- 2 tsps Green onions finely chopped
- 2 tsps Onion finely chopped
- 1 tsp Hot pepper (I use my homemade Trini style hot pepper, you can use red pepper flakes of your favourite hot pepper)
- 1 cup Water
- Oil for frying
- About a cup of cooked/canned ackee mashed
Instructions
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Combine all the ingredients except the water mixing well to combine.
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Add the water (if your batter is too stiff add more water a tablespoon at a time, it should be the consistency of a thick pancake batter).
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Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 15 to 20 minutes before frying, I like to do this to give the baking powder some time to work and lighten up the batter.
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In the meantime, put mashed ackee in piping bag with a round tip large enough for any chunky pieces to pass through but small enough to leave a neat hole in the fritter
- Fry fritters: Heat oil to 375F.
- Once oil is at the correct temperature, start scooping and dropping your fritters into the hot oil, do not crowd the pot.
- Turn the fritters frequently to encourage them to colour evenly, they tend to like to float around in one position.
- They should take about 3 minutes to cook completely, drain on papertowel or brown paper.
- While still warm (just cool enough to handle) poke the piping tip into fritter and pipe the mashed ackee into the fritter. You will feel it fill up, you may have to do one or two at first to get the hang of how much to fill each with.
- Serve warm alone or with sauce.
- Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- Feel free to switch up the herbs and seasonings used according to your preference
- Dip the scoop in the hot oil before scooping the first fritter and if the batter starts sticking to the scoop to help it release
- You can make these a couple hours ahead of time, keep warm in an oven on low till needed
***I usually use either Bob’s Red Mill or King Arthur Unbleached All Purpose flour. On a trip to Jamaica I made these using J.F Mills All purpose flour which is bleached and not as “strong” as the two previous ones mentioned. If you are using bleached flour therefore, it may be necessary to reduce the water or add a bit more flour to the batter.
Ackee Mayonnaise
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup Parboiled ackee
- 2 tsps Lemon Juice (use vinegar if you want a tangier mayo)
- 2 tbsps Oil (use something mild in flavour, I used canola)
- 1 tsp Grainy mustard optional (I like the texture)
- 1/4 tsp to 1 tsp Ground mustard
- Salt to taste
Instructions
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In a small blender cup or food processor, combine ackees, lemon juice or vinegar, oil and grainy mustard if using.
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Pulse a few times till combined, you may notice that the mayo looks like its going to break, this is where the mustard powder comes in, it will at as an emulsifier and hold it all together.
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Start adding the ground mustard 1/4 tsp at a time until emulsified, thick and smooth. Though it may seem a bit loose it will thicken up a bit more as it sits.
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Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
For Chipotle Ackee Mayo: Combine 6 tbsps of prepared ackee mayo with 1 tbsp of finely chopped chipotles in adobo; salt to taste
For Cilantro Ackee Mayo: Combine 6 tbsps of prepared ackee mayo with 2 tbsps of finely chopped cilantro; 1 tsp finely shredded garlic or garlic paste; salt and sugar to taste
Cilantro Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 cups Cilantro roughly chopped
- 2 cloves of Garlic finely minced
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Sugar
- 1 to 2 tbsps Water
Instructions
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Combine all ingredients in food processor or blender and puree till well combined. Add more water as needed to achieve desired consistency
Charred Tomato Dip
Ingredients
- 1 cup Grape tomatoes
- 1/4 Small red onion keep together as a wedge
- 1 tsp Garlic finely minced or garlic paste
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Sugar
- Juice of 1/2 Lemon
- Dash of Cayenne
- Black pepper to taste optional
- 2 tbsps Unrefined cold pressed coconut oil plus more for coating
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 425F
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Coat the tomatoes and red onion with a bit of oil and place on a sheet tray.
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Roast in oven for 10 to 15 minutes until the tomato skins blister and burst, the onion should be nicely charred
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Place all the ingredients except for the onion into a blender and pulse a few times so you have a chunky sauce (if you prefer it to be completely smooth, blend everything together including the onion). Pour into serving bowl.
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Chop the charred onion and stir into the tomato sauce, serve warm (remember the coconut oil will solidify if chilled. If you want to make this sauce ahead of time, and have kept it chilled, reheat it gently before serving)
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