Creole salt cod accras
A traditional recipe from Ethné’s family. Great as an appetizer or served with drinks, hot or at room temperature – preferably with rum punch, of course! Serve with your favorite West Indian pepper sauce if you appreciate food with a lot of personality. Accras freeze nicely and can be reheated in the oven, avoid using the microwave.
Ingredients
- 1 lb salted cod fish
- ½ red bell pepper
- 1 dry or fresh habanero
- 1 large oignon
- 1 bunch of scallions
- 4 leaves of Shadow Béné (Ngo gai) OR ¼ cup fresh coriander, chopped
- 2 tsp West Indian thyme or regular thyme
- 1 tsp black pepper, ground
- 1 cup milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 Tbsp yeast
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 cups flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- Oil for frying
Method
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1
Desalt the cod in cold water for 24 hours.
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2
Drain the cod and cut into 1 – inch cubes. Shred roughly in a food processor.
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3
Chop the bell pepper, habanero, onion, shallots and coriander or Shadow Béné finely.
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4
Place in a large bowl with the shredded cod fish, thyme, pepper, milk and eggs. Mix well.
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5
Pour ¼ cup warm water into a small bowl. Add yeast and sugar. Mix and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes until the yeast foams.
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6
Sift the flour and baking powder on the cod fish mixture. Pour in yeast and knead for 2 minutes. Cover with a cloth and put in a warm place for 2 hours, allowing the mixture to rise.
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7
Heat oil to 360°F and put spoon size scoops of the mixture in.
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8
Fry until the accras are golden (4 – 5 minutes). Drain the accras using a paper towel.
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9
Serve with your favourite West Indian pepper sauce.
