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Ackee Fritters

Chock full of ackee, these feather-light fritters are delicious by themselves or dipped
Course Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine caribbean
Servings 34 small fritters

Ingredients

  • 2 cups Parboiled Ackee
  • 2 cups Unbleached all-purpose flour***
  • 3/4 tsp Salt
  • 1 tbsp Baking Powder
  • 2 Egg whites , whisked till very frothy
  • 1 1/4 cups Water

Seasonings:

  • 1 tbsp Cilantro finely chopped
  • 2 tbsps Green onions finely chopped
  • 2 tbsps Onion finely chopped
  • 1 to 2 Hot Pepper (I use my homemade Trini style hot pepper, you can use red pepper flakes of your favourite hot pepper)
  • 1/2 tsp Dried thyme
  • 2 cloves Garlic finely grated
  • Oil for frying

Instructions

  1. Combine ackee and seasonings in a bowl, mix gently to combine but be careful not to mash all the ackee, there should be some chunks
  2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder.
  3. Add the seasoned ackee to the flour mixture, folding in gently. Then add the egg whites and 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).
  4. 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.
  5. Fry fritters: Heat oil to 375F.
  6. Once oil is at the correct temperature, start scooping and dropping your fritters into the hot oil, do not crowd the pot.
  7. Turn the fritters frequently to encourage them to colour evenly, they tend to like to float around in one position.
  8. They should take about 3 minutes to cook completely, drain on papertowel or brown paper.
  9. Serve warm alone or with sauce.
  10. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

  1. To make vegan: omit the eggwhites and increase the water by 1/4 cup or use 1/4 cup of aquafaba whisked till very frothy
  2. Feel free to switch up the herbs and seasonings used according to your preference
  3. 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
  4. 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.