Jamaican ackee and saltfish tarts
Our prized ackee fruit with saltfish is our national dish, reworked slightly here by nestling it inside earthy and vibrant, turmeric-spiked pastry.
Prep 15 min
Chill 30 min
Soak overnight
Cook 1 hr 20 min
Makes 6
Ingredients:
For the pastry
500g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
1 tbsp ground turmeric
2 tsp curry powder
¼ tsp all-purpose seasoning
1 tsp fine sea salt
150g unsalted butter
50g shortening
120ml ice-cold water
2 tsp cider vinegar
1 egg, beaten, or 2 tbsp oat milk
For the filling
100g saltfish
½ tbsp olive oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
¼ scotch bonnet pepper, deseeded and finely chopped
3 thyme sprigs, leaves picked
¾ tsp ground black pepper
2 tomatoes, diced
165g drained ackee, from a tin
Lime wedges, to serve (optional)
Method:
First, make the pastry. Put the flour, turmeric, curry powder, all-purpose seasoning, salt, butter and shortening in a food processor and pulse to a breadcrumb consistency. Add four tablespoons of the ice-cold water and the vinegar, and pulse again until a dough starts to form (avoid overworking it). Add the remaining water a tablespoon at a time – you may not need it all – until the pastry holds together with a pinch. If you don’t have a food processor, mix by hand.
Tip the dough on to a lightly floured surface, shape it into a ball – the less you handle the dough, the better – then wrap and chill for 30-40 minutes.
Rinse the saltfish, then soak it in cold water overnight in the fridge. Drain the saltfish, then cook it in boiling water just to soften. Taste a pinch of the fish to check the salt levels – if it’s too salty, soak it for another five minutes, then check again. Once you’re happy, shred the fish into flakes.
Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6, and grease and flour six 10cm tart tins.
Remove the pastry from the fridge. Dust a rolling pin with a little flour and lightly flatten the dough with the palm of your hand. Roll out the pastry to a rough circle about 4mm thick, then, using a 12cm pastry cutter, cut out six circles, re-balling and rolling the pastry trimmings, if necessary. Press the pastry circles into the tart tins, and trim off any excess. Line each tart case with a piece of scrunched-up baking paper and baking beans, then bake for 15 minutes, until lightly golden. Lift out the beans and paper, then return the tart cases to the oven for 10 minutes, until crisp and golden. Set aside, but leave the oven on.
To make the filling, put the oil in a frying pan on a medium heat, then sweat the onion for five to seven minutes, until softened. Add the scotch bonnet, thyme and pepper, cook for two to three minutes, then add the tomatoes and flaked saltfish, and cook for two to three minutes more.
Stir in the ackee, cook for one to two minutes longer (the tomatoes and ackee should hold their shape), then take off the heat. Divide the mixture equally between the tart cases, then bake for five minutes. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing over, if you like.