Jamaican Saltfish Fritters
If you're looking for a delicious and authentic Jamaican dish, look no further than these saltfish fritters. These golden fried fritters are savory and full of delicious Caribbean flavor.
Servings 6 people
Calories 335kcal
Ingredients
- 12 oz dried salted fish
- 3 green onions chopped
- 1 large Roma tomato chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves removed from stem and chopped
- ½ scotch bonnet pepper seeds removed and chopped (optional)
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon all-purpose seasoning
- 2 cups all-purpose flour 270g
- 1 ¼ - 1 ½ cup cold water*
- Oil for frying about 1 cup
Instructions
Prepare the saltfish
- Rinse the saltfish. Place the salt fish in a large pot and cover with about 2 inches of water and bring it to a boil. Allow the saltfish to boil in the water for 10-12 minutes and then drain the water to remove excess salt.
- You can also soak the salt cod in water for 24 hours, changing the water several times. Once it is fully soaked and tender, boil the codfish for 4-5 minutes, drain the cod, flake it into small pieces, and use it in your fritter batter.
Prepare the fritter batter
- Add prepared saltfish, green onions, roma tomato, thyme, scotch bonnet pepper, black pepper, and all-purpose seasoning to a bowl and mix until combined.
- Add all-purpose flour and stir until combined.
- Slowly add water and stir until combined. The batter should easily slide off a spoon.
- Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-heat. Add batter by the spoonful, about ¼ cup each.Once bubbles start to appear on the top and the bottom is golden brown, flip the fritter. This should take about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove and serve.
Notes
- While boiling the saltfish, foam will appear at the top of the pot. Watch closely to make sure the foam does not boil over the top of the pot.
- To sub fresh fish in this recipe, season and bake the fresh codfish before using it in the fritter batter. If using fresh cod, you may need to add a little salt to the batter, about ½ teaspoon.
- I use half a scotch bonnet pepper in this recipe, which gives it a little bit of spice. Habanero pepper can be subbed for scotch bonnet pepper or simply leave it out. You can also use a hot pepper sauce.
- The amount of water used will depend on the end results of the fritters. Less water will give a thicker, denser fritter while more water will give a thin, crispy fritter.
- The amount of salt added to this recipe will depend on how much salt was removed from the salted cod. Do not add additional salt until after you have fried and tasted one fritter.
Nutrition
Calories: 335kcal