Ackee and Saltfish, as most of you know, is the national dish of Jamaica (my mom made sure my siblings and I knew this very early on in our childhood). In our household, for birthdays we rarely had parties and instead my mom would cook us our favorite foods (jamaican of course). So each year before my birthday my mom would ask me what do you want for your dinner and each year without hesitation I'd say "Ackee and Saltfish". This dish brings me so much comfort and while I'd prefer FRESH Ackee and Callaloo straight from JA, canned is the next best thing and allows me to make my favorite dish as often as I can. This recipe includes the sides I typically make with my Ackee and Saltfish dinner but you can eat this dish for breakfast with fried dumplings or with rice for a simple dinner.
Ingredients:
Ackee:
Grace canned ackee in salt water, 19 ounces
1 plum tomato, cut into strips
1/2 cup of onions, cut into strips
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into strips
A pinch of salt
Black pepper
2 Sprigs of thyme
1-2 tbsp of cooking oil
Callaloo:
Grace canned callaloo chopped in salt water, 19 ounces
1 plum tomato, cut into strips
1/2 cup of onions, cut into strips
1/2 yellow bell pepper, cut into strips
Salt
Black pepper
2 sprigs of thyme
1 tbsp of butter
Boiled Cornmeal Dumplings: will yield 6 dumplings **double the
recipe for more**
1 cup of flour
1/2 cup of cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/3 cup of cold water
Boiled Cassava: (will boil with dumplings)
Goya frozen cassava
salt for boiling
water
Saltfish
Salted Cod fish - sold at shoprite, make sure the package says
boned as well as COD and not pollock.
Crushed plantains
Two GREEN plantains
Salt
Preparation:
Saltfish: Begin by soaking saltfish in cold water for 1-2 hours, discard water. Bring fresh water to a boil then add saltfish and allow to boil for 15-20 mins. Be sure not to exceed 20 mins otherwise you will boil out all the salt and that will throw off the flavor. Let saltfish cool. Shred saltfish with your fingers being sure to remove any lingering bones. Place saltfish aside.
Cornmeal Dumplings & Cassava: Begin by adding flour, cornmeal and salt in a medium bowl and mix all the dry ingredients with a fork. Next slowly add water, kneading the dough in between each pour. Knead until dough is firm. Pull medium sized pieces from dough and form into patty like shapes. Bring water to a boil, add a pinch of salt then add in dumplings and cassava. Let them boil on medium heat and stir occasionally. Cook callaloo, ackee and saltfish while the dumplings and cassava are boiling, check cassava.
**Cook Ackee and Saltfish and Callaloo simultaneously**
Ackee and Saltfish: Begin by adding oil to a medium skillet and letting it heat up. Once the oil is hot add thyme, tomatoes, onions and bell peppers and allow them to cook till slightly tender. Add in saltfish and let it cook. Drain ackee from the can using a strainer and spread it flat in the skillet (DO NOT stir the ackee, just let it heat up). Sprinkle an even coat of black pepper across the ackee (I prepare mine with a lot of black pepper because it really balances out the taste of the saltfish and ackee). Use a fork to FLUFF the ackee with everything else, be very very gentle because canned ackee is soft. Fluff one to two more times. Taste, add a little bit more salt and pepper if needed. Cover the skillet and keep on low heat.
Callaloo: Begin by adding butter to a skillet (or medium saucepan) on medium heat, add in thyme, tomatoes, onions and bell peppers and let them cook till slightly tender. Drain callaloo (save a little bit of the salt water) and add it to the skillet or pan. Cover the skillet and let the callaloo simmer covered on low heat.
Crushed Green Plantains: Peel and cut plantains into 1 inch pieces. Add oil (enough to cover the surface) to a skillet on medium to high heat. Fry all the plantain pieces on both sides until LIGHTLY browned. Using a plate or wooden tostonera crush the plantains. Lightly salt the crushed plantain pieces and then re-fry them until completely browned. Remove pieces from oil and place on a plate with paper towel to absorb the excess oil. Once cooled, press paper towel on top of the plantains to absorb the excess oil from the top as well.
Enjoy!
This song goes out to my lovely (sometimes rude and undisciplined) mother - Jacqueline. Thank you for always making me my favorite dish until I was able to make it for myself <3
Song: Jacqueline - Hugh Mundell **Pay close attention to the lyrics :)**
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