Ackee and Saltfish

Ackee and Saltfish with Fried Dumplings

I’m spending my summer break back home in Jamaica, so I thought it would only be fitting that I write about something Jamaican. So, I chose Ackee and Saltfish!!!

Ackee and Saltfish (Salted Cod) is the national dish of Jamaica and has been my favorite meal since childhood. I have a few favorites, but if I were to choose between them, ackee and saltfish would come out on top every time.

Ackee, which is the main component of the dish, is a toxic fruit under certain conditions. The three yellow arils that we eat are enclosed in a pod, which goes from green to red in degrees of ripeness. When the fruit is red, it is very close to being ripe, but still isn’t ready. The pod first has to open in order to release the poison toxin. The picture on the right shows the unopened fruit while it is still on the tree. If it were to be  used now, it would cause what is dubbed as the"Jamaican Vomiting Sickness Syndrome (JVS)”. Depending on the quantity ingested, it could even lead to a coma or even death. The picture on the left shows the point at which it is safe to use. The ackee pod on the right side of the picture shows the best point at which to be picked and cooked. All three lobes need to open. The transition of a closed pod to an opened pod can happen very fast, even overnight. The transition all depends on the climate that night and day.

     

     The toxins in the ackee pod are called hypoglycin A and B. Hypoglycin A is the more potent of the two and hypoglycin B is only found in the seed, which is never consumed. These toxins are amino acids. They are converted in the body to methylenecyclopropyl acetic acid (MCPA). Hypoglycin and MCPA are both toxic. The MCPA then undergoes oxidative decarboxylation in order to for MCPA-CoA (SCQ).  MCPA-CoA inhibits the beta oxidation of fatty acids. This will in turn cause what is known as hypoglycemia. Hypoglycin reaches its highest quantity at the point at which the ackee is most mature. The levels of hypoglycin diminish once the pod opens and is exposed to the air. The picture on the left is a figure of a hypoglycin molecule. It is a naturally occurring compound in the species Blighia sapida or otherwise known as the ackee plant. The plant was named in honor of Captain William Bligh after he brought the plant from Jamaica to the Royal Botanical Gardens in Kew, England in 1793. The plant first originated in West Africa and was imported to Jamaica in 1778, most likely on a slave ship.

The Ackee and Saltfish dish is an amazing part of Jamaica's Heritage, and a recipe is below:

Recipe

½  lb Saltfish (dried, salted codfish)
 12 fresh ackees or 1 (drained) can of tinned ackees
 1 medium onion
 1/2 tsp black pepper
 3 tbsp of butter
 1/2 a hot chilli pepper (ideally Scotch Bonnet)
 1 sweet pepper
 1 chopped tomato
 12 cloves of garlic
4 Scallion (or spring onions)

sprig fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme

     1. Cover the saltfish in cold water. Let soak overnight (minimum 8 hours) changing the water 

several times (this removes most of the salt)

2. Bring a pan of cold water to the boil and gently simmer the fish for 20 minutes 

(until the fish is tender).

     3.  Chop the onion, sweet pepper, chilli pepper and tomato. Remove the fish from water and allow 

to cool. Remove all of bones and skin then flake the flesh of the fish.

     4. Melt the butter in a frying pan and stir fry the onion, black pepper, sweet pepper, chilli and 

thyme for about 3 minutes.

5. Add the tomatoes and flaked fish and stir-fry for another 10 minutes 

6. Add the Ackee and cook until hot throughout. Stir gently to avoid breaking-up the 

Ackee

 7. Serve with yam, green banana, fried dumplings and Irish potato

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"The Science Creative Quarterly » THE ACKEE FRUIT (BLIGHIA SAPIDA) AND ITS ASSOCIATED TOXIC EFFECTS." The Science Creative Quarterly » THE ACKEE FRUIT (BLIGHIA SAPIDA) AND ITS ASSOCIATED TOXIC EFFECTS. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 July 2013.

"List of Molecule Names." Molecule List. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 July 2013.