Ackee and Saltfish with Rice and Peas

This is by far my favourite Caribbean dish, not only does it taste delicious but it’s so easy to cook. For those who are not keen on saltfish, you can substitute with any other fish fillets, I’ve used fresh cod and salmon fillets before.

This recipe yields enough as a main dish.

Servings:	4
Preparation time:	15 minutes
Cooking time:	20 minutes

Ingredients

Main Dish

• 300g Salted Fish Fillets
• 540g Ackee
• 1/3 Medium Sized Red Capsicum
• 1/3 Medium Sized Green Capsicum
• 1/3 Medium Sized Yellow Capsicum
• 2 Medium Sized Tomatoes
• 2 Medium Sized Red Onions
• 3 Cloves of Garlic
• 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
• 2 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 Sprig of Fresh Thyme or 1 tsp of Dried Thyme
• 1/2 Scotch Bonnet (optional)

Rice and Peas

• 360g Basmati or Long Grain Rice
• 300g Kidney Beans
• 150g Coconut Milk
• 1 tsp Salt (optional)

Preparing the Saltfish

There are various ways to prepare your saltfish for cooking, here are 2 common ways;

1. Put the saltfish in cold water and leave it in the fridge overnight, then pour away the water the next day before cooking.
2. Boil the saltfish for approximately 30 minutes prior to cooking.

Whichever you choose, once you’ve soaked or boiled them, use your hands or fork to separate the fish into flakes. Leave until ready to cook.

Method

Rice & Peas

• In a medium-sized pan, Wash the rice and drain off the water.
• Add the kidney beans (if canned use the water), salt and coconut milk, add the same amount of cold water as there is rice.
• Bring to a boil, stir, then on lowest heat, cook for a further 18 minutes with the lid on.

Ackee & Saltfish

• Roughly chop up garlic, capsicums, tomatoes and onions.
• Add the oil to a frying pan or wok on medium heat. Add the thyme, garlic, black pepper, scotch bonnet, onions, capsicums and tomatoes. Stir fry for approximately 3 minutes or until soft.
• Add the fish and stir fry for another 10 minutes.
• Gently fold in the ackee so as not to break them up too much, cook until hot throughout then serve.