Latin American & Caribbean · Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner

Ackee and Saltfish

Name: Ackee and Saltfish
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 60 min
Cuisine: Latin American & Caribbean
Ingredients: 225 g (8 oz) dry, about 340 g after desalting boneless salt cod (saltfish), desalted by boiling twice (weight after desalting, from about 225 g / 8 oz dry); about 3/4 tsp, remains in the fish after boiling salt retained in the desalted fish (estimate, already in the fish, do not add); 1 can (540 g), drained canned ackee, drained; 1 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 medium onion, sliced; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 3 stalks scallions, sliced, whites and greens separated; 3 sprigs fresh thyme; 1 medium red bell pepper, sliced; 1/2 pepper Scotch bonnet pepper, seeded and finely chopped; 2 medium tomatoes, chopped; 1/2 tsp black pepper; 1/4 tsp ground allspice (pimento)

By BerryFit Kitchen · Nutrition checked with USDA data · Updated Oct 11, 2026 · How we make recipes

Jamaica's national dish: buttery, golden ackee folded through flaked salt cod with sweet peppers, tomato, thyme and a little Scotch bonnet heat. This lighter version uses just a spoonful of oil and no extra salt, because the desalted fish still carries plenty of its own.

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 45 min
Total: 60 min
Serves: 4

Easy
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
High protein
Low Carb

14%

Per serving273kcal14% of a 2,000 kcal day

23gProtein

17gCarbs

13gFat

5gFiber

Calories come from: Carbs 25% · Fat 42% · Protein 33%

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Ingredients

For 4 servings

225 g (8 oz) dry, about 340 g after desaltingboneless salt cod (saltfish), desalted by boiling twice (weight after desalting, from about 225 g / 8 oz dry)
about 3/4 tsp, remains in the fish after boilingsalt retained in the desalted fish (estimate, already in the fish, do not add)
1 can (540 g), drainedcanned ackee, drained
1 tbsp14 gvegetable oil
1 medium110 gonion, sliced
2 cloves6 ggarlic, minced
3 stalks45 gscallions, sliced, whites and greens separated
3 sprigsfresh thyme
1 medium120 gred bell pepper, sliced
1/2 pepper5 gScotch bonnet pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 medium240 gtomatoes, chopped
1/2 tspblack pepper
1/4 tspground allspice (pimento) (optional)

Steps

1
Rinse the salt cod under cold running water to remove surface salt.
2
Place the fish in a pot, cover with about 2 litres of fresh water (this water is discarded, not eaten), bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes.
3
Drain, cover with another 2 litres of fresh water, bring back to a boil and simmer for another 15 minutes.
4
Drain and taste a small piece; if still very salty, soak it briefly in fresh cold water and drain again. Even well desalted, the fish keeps roughly 4 g of salt, which seasons the whole dish, so do not add any more.
5
Let the fish cool slightly, then flake it, removing any skin or bones.
6
Drain the canned ackee in a sieve and rinse it very gently with cold water to remove some of the brine.
7
Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat.
8
Add the onion, garlic, scallion whites and thyme sprigs and cook for 3–4 minutes until softened.
9
Add the bell pepper and Scotch bonnet and cook for 3 minutes.
10
Stir in the tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes until they start to soften.
11
Add the flaked fish and cook for 2 minutes, stirring to mix with the vegetables.
12
Gently fold in the drained ackee and heat for 3–4 minutes, stirring as little as possible so the ackee stays whole.
13
Season with black pepper and the allspice, if using, then remove the thyme stems.
14
Scatter over the scallion greens and serve hot.

Swaps, storage and make-ahead

Swaps

For a vegetarian version, leave out the salt cod and fold in chickpeas or crumbled firm tofu, adding a pinch of salt to taste since the fish no longer seasons the dish.
If salt cod is hard to find, use flaked smoked mackerel or canned salmon added at the end just to warm through, and taste before seasoning.
Use a green or yellow bell pepper instead of red, or a jalapeño instead of the Scotch bonnet for milder heat.
Serve with boiled green bananas, roasted breadfruit or steamed callaloo instead of fried dumplings for a lighter plate.

Storage

Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container within 2 hours and eat within 3 to 4 days, reheating gently until steaming hot. Ackee turns soft and mushy when thawed, so this dish is best not frozen.

Make ahead

Desalt, flake and refrigerate the salt cod up to 2 days ahead, and slice the onion, peppers and scallions the day before. Cook the dish with the ackee just before serving so it stays whole.

Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.

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Allergens and nutrition

Contains: Fish

Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.

Full nutrition

	Per serving (297 g)	Per 100 g
Calories	273 kcal	92 kcal
Protein	22.5 g	7.6 g
Carbohydrates	16.7 g	5.6 g
of which sugars	6.8 g	2.3 g
Fiber	4.8 g	1.6 g
Fat	12.8 g	4.3 g
of which saturated	3.3 g	1.1 g
Sodium	594 mg	200 mg

Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.