Saltfish Fritters and Guinness…Yummm
Saltfish Fritter Recipe Courtesy of Jones’ Snackette
Main Street, Charlestown, Nevis
Ingredients:
4 Ounces all purpose flour
4 Teaspoons vegetable oil
5 Ounces warm water
2 Egg whites
8 Ounces saltfish (#ad), soaked, and flaked
6 Chives finely chopped
1 Scotch bonnet pepper minced
Vegetable oil for frying
Cooking Method:
Sift flour and salt into a a large mixing bowl.
Add the oil and water and beat to a smooth batter, don’t over-mix.
Whisk egg white in a grease free bowl until stiff.
Fold egg whites into the batter.
Add the saltfish, chives, and pepper to batter, and mix well to combine.
Heat oil in a large shallow frying pan (#ad).
Drop a few spoonfuls of the fritter mix into the oil and fry for 3-4 minutes, turning with a spoon, until golden brown. Drain on a cooling rack.
Repeat process until all the fritter mixture is used up.
Serves 10 – 12 as a starter.
Mango chutney goes well as a dip for these fritters. Personally I dunk them in a glass of Guinness :)
A Brief History of Saltfish
A hundred years ago, saltfish was an essential part of the Massachusetts economy. It gave rise to boat building for fishermen, ship building for trade and trade routes to the Caribbean.
Much of the production of saltfish moved north concentrating in the Canadian Maritimes.
Fish is salted in order to preserve it for future consumption. The objective is to rapidly remove moisture while allowing the salt to uniformly penetrate the flesh of the fish. This process occurs through osmosis. Preservation is achieved by reducing the moisture content and it is enhanced by the high salt concentration in the flesh, which prevents the growth of bacteria.
There are two methods of salting fish; the dry method and the brine method. In both, the fish is placed in a container in alternating layers of fish and salt. In the dry salting process, the moisture which seeps from the fish forming a brine is drained during processing. The resulting fish is fairly dry, and is usually dried further by natural or artificial means. In the brine method, the brine is left in continual contact with the flesh until it is fully cured.
For the complete history visit this page