Discovery Bay, Jamaica – Living in Jamaica you would never think to used canned ackee. So while we were visiting Jamaica we knew we had to make some Ackee and Saltfish with fresh ackee, which was such a treat. In this case the ackee was picked fresh from the tree only an hour before cooking it. You can’t get fresher than that! Click here to watch our video about How to Pick Fresh Ackee.
When making Ackee and Saltfish, before folding the ackee into the other ingredients it has to be cooked. Usually that means blanching it in boiled water, as in our case. But depending on the species it may need to be cooked for some time before it is tender enough. Canned ackee is already cooked so all you have to do is open the can and fold it in to the rest of the ingredients.
Fay’s Tip: If you want to freeze fresh ackee, you should blanche it first. Then when you’re ready to use it just defrost it and fold it into the other ingredients, as usual.
The video runs about 4 minutes and was shot at our cousin’s house in Discovery Bay on the north coast of Jamaica. Make sure to watch to the end of the video to meet our family members who helped clean the ackee. Click here for the recipe: Jamaican Ackee and Saltfish recipe.
