Jamaican New Year -Salt Fish and Akee

Apparantly this New Years Eve three quaters of the population stayed home. It certainly looked like that when i wandered up to Waitrose on New Years Eve. I was amazed,I had never seen so many people walking around with shopping lists. Trolleys were rammed full of champagne, and all kinds of snack foods. The Mascapone cheese had completely run out. It Seemed like everybody was in a cooking frenzy. I don't know what i was doing in Waitrose but just being there with all those people preparing to cook made me feel more like cooking.

I had been soaking salt fish for a day and i knew i was going to make Salt fish and Akee. It is strange cooking something you have never seen and never tried. I had seen salt fish plenty years ago when i lived in Toronto, but i had never cooked it. I had a tin of Akees in my cupboard for a month but i had never opened them and I had no idea what any of it was supposed to taste like.
That is kind of working backwards for me normally I taste something and then try and re-create it. Since i had no idea whether I would love or hate Akees and salt fish I also cooked a goat curry,jerk chicken,fried plaintains and coconut coleslaw.
Wow the akee looked so weird. They have a light creamy flavour - vaguely like scrambled eggs and they taste fabulous when mixed with the salt fish and what reminded me of a very cajun sauce.
Food was delicous. It is so exciting to try new things.


The Recipe I used was from my current favourite cookbook "Spoonin with Rosie" by Rosie Lovell. I have had it since September and i still have so many things i want to try.

Next blog will have a recipe I promise.
Thai Carrot and Red Curry soup sold like mad at Boscanova during the holidays. I will be posting the recipe on Wendnesday.