Ackee and Saltfish

Story

Ackee (Blighia sapida) is native to the tropical forests of West Africa and takes its English name from the Akan word akye fufo, used in present-day Ghana. The fruit arrived in Jamaica in 1778 aboard a slave ship, as recorded by Hortus Eastensis, a botanical catalogue of the Liguanea garden in Jamaica published in 1794, making it one of the few food plants whose transatlantic journey is precisely documented. The scientific name honours Captain William Bligh, who transported specimens to the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew in 1793, though Bligh played no role in the fruit's introduction to Jamaica. Safety is central to ackee lore: the fruit contains the toxin hypoglycin A, which causes Jamaican Vomiting Sickness if consumed unripe; only ackee that has naturally opened its red pod to reveal the three cream-coloured arils is safe to eat, and the United States banned imports of the raw fruit in 1973 for this reason.

Ingredients

• 450 g boneless saltfish (salted codfish)
• 540 g canned ackee, drained, or 500 g fresh ackee arils, cleaned
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil or coconut oil
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 2 stalks escallion (spring onion), thinly sliced, whites and greens separated
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 0.25 to 0.5 Scotch bonnet pepper, deseeded and finely chopped, to taste
• 1 large bell pepper, thinly sliced (any colour)
• 1 medium ripe tomato, diced
• 4 to 6 pimento berries (Jamaican allspice), lightly crushed, or 0.5 teaspoon ground allspice
• 0.5 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Salt to taste if needed

Method

• 1. Prepare the saltfish: rinse under cold running water to remove the surface salt. Place in a large pot of cold water, bring to the boil and cook for 15 minutes. Pour off the salted water, taste a small piece and if still very salty repeat with fresh cold water for a further 10 minutes. Drain and cool. Remove any skin, bones, and scales, then flake the fish into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.
• 2. If using fresh ackee: remove the arils from naturally opened pods only. Pull away and discard the pink membrane connecting each aril to the black seed, then discard the seed. Rinse the arils. Bring a pot of unsalted water to the boil, add the ackee and cook for 8 to 10 minutes until tender but still holding their shape. Drain and set aside. If using canned ackee, drain the brine and set aside without further cooking.
• 3. Heat the oil in a wide, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and the white parts of the escallion. Cook, stirring, for 3 to 4 minutes until softened.
• 4. Add the garlic, thyme, Scotch bonnet pepper, and pimento berries. Stir for 1 minute until fragrant.
• 5. Add the sliced bell pepper and diced tomato. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the pepper begins to soften and the tomato releases its juices.
• 6. Add the flaked saltfish and stir to combine with the vegetables. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
• 7. Add the ackee and the green parts of the escallion. Reduce the heat to low. Rather than stirring, which will break up the delicate ackee, give the pan two or three firm shakes and a gentle fold with a wide spoon. Simmer for 3 to 5 minutes until everything is heated through and the flavours have melded.
• 8. Season with black pepper and taste before adding any salt, as the saltfish provides significant seasoning. Remove the thyme sprig.
• 9. Serve hot with fried dumplings, fried or roasted breadfruit, hard dough bread, or boiled green bananas.

Common questions