Jamaica’s national dish is the ackee and saltfish. Jamaicans say it is the traditional breakfast. Ackee and saltfish combined makes a delicious mouthwatering dish. Ackee is a fruit that grows on the ackee tree and looks like a fruit when it is still on the tree. The fruit is fully developed, mature, ripe and suitable for consumption when the pod becomes bright red and split open to expose the fruit. The fruit inside is three or four cream coloured fleshy section with glossy black seeds at the top. Saltfish is fresh fish that has been salt-cured and dried until the moisture is completely extracted.
To prepare this dish, you need to ensure that you have the ingredients needed to complete the dish as well as the utensils prepared ahead of time. Gather the ingredients, such as, the ackee and the salt fish. Also, you need the seasoning for the dish like sweet pepper, onion, garlic, salt, scotch bonnet pepper, coconut or vegetable oil, black pepper and tomato which is optional. Then you need to gather the utensil like the pots and pans you are going to work with. In preparing your ackee and saltfish, you can first start off by preparing the ackee. Before the ackee can be cooked, it needs to be taken out of the pretty red skin.
The large dark seeds are to be removed, clean, wash and drain properly. The first thing you do is fill a pot with enough water to cover the ackee. Put the pot on the stove and ensure that you light the burner. Add a little salt to taste and leave the ackee to boil until it is tender. The ackee needs to be boiled so as to remove toxin from the fruit which is poisonous to the body. The next thing to do is to wash the saltfish then boil until most of the salt disappears. While the saltfish and ackee is boiling, you can start preparing the seasoning by chopping them finely.
After the ackee and saltfish are finish boiling, drain them both and set the ackee aside. As soon as the saltfish is cool enough to touch you can separate the saltfish into small piece, discarding the bones and skin. Next, grab the pot for the last combination of all the ingredients and place it on the stove over a lit burner. The first thing you do is to pour the oil in the pot to get heated. After that, start adding the seasoning you chopped earlier to the heated oil. Add the ackee and flaked saltfish to the pot and stir lightly. The last thing you do is to add a little black pepper to taste.
This lovely dish can be served with side dishes of your choice such as boiled green banana, dumpling whether fried or boiled, roast breadfruit, bammy or even rice. Plus, along with the meal you can enjoy a tall glass of cool coconut water. Ackee and saltfish our national dish is so extremely tasty. You will grasp the taste as soon as you take the first bite. It is easy to prepare once you follow the steps to prepare this wonderful meal with all the delicious flavours added. Try it with the delicious side dishes and see how mouth watering our Jamaican National dish ackee and saltfish can be.
