Jamaican Saltfish Fritters are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Take a trip to the islands with this tastebud sensation from the Caribbean.
These saltfish fritters are your ticket to a culinary Caribbean vacation without the high price of a plane ticket. Can Jamaican fritters with saltfish truly deliver the taste of the Caribbean? Absolutely!
Whether you’re from the Caribbean and crave tropical comfort food or enjoy trying new foods, this recipe is for you. Jamaican saltfish fritters fresh from the fryer and paired with pepper sauce make me a happy camper.
What Is Saltfish?
Cod preserved by salting and drying is also known as bacalao. Unsalted dried fish is popular in African cooking, but fish lasts a lot longer if you salt it before drying. Italians call saltfish baccala and the Portuguese bacalhau.
No matter what you call it, it’s delicious when properly prepared. Even better, you don’t have to keep it refrigerated. Just soak it in water for 1-3 days to remove as much salt as possible, or you’ll have wasted an expensive fish. These are not spur-of-the-moment fritters unless you get your cod from a store that sells it frozen and has desalted it for you.
If you’re wondering why go through all this trouble to cook with salted codfish for fritters, let me explain. It’s like comparing pork to ham. The salt curing changes the flavor into something even more delicious! Talk about the flavor; nothing compares to this saltfish fritter recipe!
Recipe Ingredients
- Saltfish gives the fritters their one-of-a-kind taste and texture. I opt for boneless, skinless salted cod to save time in the kitchen. 😉
- Baking Powder – The leavening agent, baking powder, creates a light and fluffy fritter batter.
- Flour – All-purpose flour creates the batter base and provides structure. For gluten-free fritters, use a 1:1 ratio of your favorite gluten-free flour.
- Seasonings – These guys are jam-packed with flavors from garlic, smoked paprika, sugar, parsley, and thyme.
- Vegetables – Onion, scotch bonnet pepper, and bell pepper (all finely chopped) provide texture and color.
- Egg binds the batter and keeps it moist.
- Milk – Essential for creating just the right batter consistency. But you can replace the milk with water.
How to Make Jamaican Saltfish Fritters
- Prepare Fish – Soak saltfish in water overnight or for several days (change the water several times). Drain and shred fish with a food processor for a fine shred. If you prefer, you can finely shred it by hand.
- Dry Ingredients – Combine the flour, baking powder, smoked paprika, granulated garlic, and sugar. Stir for about a minute, then add onions, shredded fish, thyme, red bell pepper, scotch bonnet, parsley, and egg.
- Add Milk – Whisk until ingredients are well blended. Add milk gradually, starting with about a ⅓ cup, until it reaches the desired thickness.
- Adjust Seasonings – You may want to do a test taste and adjust the seasonings according to your palate.
- Heat oil to 350℉ (180℃) in a skillet or saucepan. You can also use the oil test by dropping a 1-inch square of bread into the oil. If it takes 60 seconds to brown, the oil is around 350℉ (180℃).
- Fry – Carefully place the batter by spoonfuls into the hot oil and fry for 3-4 minutes. The fritters will turn a beautiful golden brown (you may need to do this in batches). Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside on a paper towel to drain.
Recipe Variations
- Fresh Cod – You can use fresh fish instead of saltfish for fritters. The flavor and texture of the fritters will be slightly different, but they will still be incredibly delicious. And you may want to add a little extra salt to the recipe.
- Adjust the Heat – Replace the scotch bonnet pepper with red habanero pepper if you prefer a slightly smokey flavor. Or feel free to omit the hot peppers if you don’t care for the heat.
- Seasoning Add-Ins – Add some fresh cilantro or scallions for freshness. A dash of curry powder will provide a warm earthiness.
- Go Vegetarian – Replace the codfish with hearts of palm, canned green jackfruit, or tempeh for out-of-this-world plant-based fritters!
- Veggie Additions – Experiment with yellow or orange bell peppers or add a diced Roma tomato to the batter for sweetness and freshness.
- Air-Fried Fritters – For air frying, lightly oil a solid baking tray that fits in the air fryer (the batter will fall through the basket’s holes). Drop the batter onto the tray and cook in a preheated 400℉ (205℃) air fryer; lightly spray the fritters with cooking oil and air fry them for about 10 minutes. Flip and cook them for 5-10 minutes on the other side.
Tips and Notes
- When preparing the saltfish, use cold water to rinse and soak the fish to remove excess salt.
- To achieve the perfect batter consistency, add the milk gradually while stirring. Add less milk if you prefer thicker fritters. Adding more milk will give you thinner, crispier fritters.
- Saltfish fritters need space to cook evenly since they increase in volume in the skillet. Avoid overcrowding the pan since the results will be less crispy.
- The saltfish adds lots of flavor and saltiness to the fritters. However, you’ll still want to do a taste test after you have cooked one and adjust the salt to taste.
Make-Ahead Instructions
Jamaican saltfish fritters are best served immediately after frying when they’re warm and crispy. However, it’s easy to prepare the saltfish ahead of time and have it on hand. And you can make the fritters ahead and reheat them in an air fryer to crisp them back up.
Soak, drain, and shred the cod, then place it in a plastic zipper bag or airtight container and freeze it. Shredded saltfish keeps well for up to 2 months in the freezer. When ready to use, defrost in the refrigerator overnight.
Serving and Storage Instructions
These golden treats are great on their own as a hearty breakfast or with your favorite vegetable side dishes for lunch. They’re also tasty as an appetizer with your favorite dip.
Refrigerate leftover fritters in an airtight container for 2-3 days or freeze them for up to 3 months. You might want to layer them with parchment paper to prevent them from sticking.
To reheat fritters, arrange them on a baking sheet and bake them in a preheated or toaster oven until heated through.
What to Serve With Jamaican Saltfish Fritters
Saltfish fritters are incredibly versatile and are wonderful for breakfast, lunch, or an afternoon snack. For a hearty meal, serve these delicacies with callaloo, Caribbean rice and beans, and a refreshing Caribbean coleslaw.
More Caribbean Delicacies to Try
- Caribbean Curried Shrimp
- Crispy Caribbean Chicken Strips
- Caribbean Jerk Barbecue Ribs
- Saltfish Bake
- Vegan Coquito
Watch How to Make It
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”VDuqzIC9″ upload-date=”2019-04-25T13:57:11.000Z” name=”Salt Fish Fritters” description=”Spiced Jamaican Saltfish fritters – Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. A tastebud sensation!”]
This blog post was originally published in September 2014 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video
Saltfish Fritters
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Ingredients
- ½ pound (250g) boneless salted cod or any firm-fleshed white fish
- 2 teaspoons (9.5g) baking powder
- 1 cup (120g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon (2g) granulated garlic
- ½ teaspoon (1g) smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon (2g) sugar
- ½ medium onion, finely diced
- ½ teaspoon (1g) scotch bonnet pepper, minced (or replace with 2g hot sauce)
- 3 tablespoons (8g) parsley, minced
- 1 teaspoon (1g) fresh thyme, minced
- 2 tablespoons (19g) bell pepper, minced
- 1 large egg
- ⅓-½ cup (80-120ml) milk or water
- freshly grated pepper to taste
- vegetable oil for frying (about 3 cups)
Instructions
- Soak the saltfish in water overnight or for a few days (changing the water several times). Drain and shred fish using a food processor to achieve a really fine shred, or finely shred it by hand.
- Combine the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, smoked paprika, granulated garlic, and sugar. Stir for about a minute, then add onions, shredded saltfish, thyme, red bell pepper, scotch bonnet, parsley, and egg.
- Whisk until ingredients are well combined. Then, gradually add milk, starting from about ⅓ cup, until reaching the desired thickness.
- Adjust seasonings, frying up a small piece to do a taste test if necessary.
- Heat the oil to 350℉ (180℃) in a skillet or saucepan. You could also use the oil test by dropping a 1-inch square of bread into it. If it takes 60 seconds to brown, the oil is around 50℉ (180℃).
- Carefully lower spoonfuls of the batter into the hot oil and fry for 3-4- minutes or until the fritters are crisp and golden brown. You may need to do this in batches.
- Remove the cooked fritters from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside on a paper-towel-lined plate to remove excess oil.
Tips & Notes:
- When preparing the saltfish, use cold water to rinse and soak the fish to remove excess salt.
- To achieve the perfect batter consistency, add the milk gradually while stirring. Add less milk if you prefer thicker fritters. Adding more milk will give you thinner, crispier fritters.
- Saltfish fritters need space to cook evenly since they increase in volume in the skillet. Avoid overcrowding the pan since the results will be less crispy.
- The saltfish adds lots of flavor and saltiness to the fritters. However, you’ll still want to do a taste test after you have cooked one and adjust the salt to taste.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
david scerri says
hi i have been eating and making salt fish fritters nearly all my life no two recipes are the same, it seems every island in the west indies very, then i stumbled upon yours and ive got to say YES yours is the best, last time i made them there was a batch of 75 for my son wife and my self, well it worked out 2 for him two for her and the rest for me, if only.
well its saturday night and just finished making another batch i will now leave the mix over night and after church in the morning, salt fish fritters for breakfast,cant wait..
keep up the good work
dave
ImmaculateBites says
Thank you so much David! That is such a sweet thing to say! So happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe!
Sabine says
These fritters were so yummylicious!!! I soaked the salt fish for about 8 hours and boiled it for about 15 minutes. They had the perfect amount of salt. Thank you!!!
ImmaculateBites says
Thanks for sharing Sabine!
Laura says
Hi! I plan to make these soon and i just wondered how many individual fritters this recipe makes?
Thanks!
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Laura! It makes about 15 depending on the size.
Rachel says
Hi, I tried these yesterday. The recipe was super easy and delicious. Thank you.
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Rachel!Glad to hear you enjoyed it
Tonya D says
These look delicious, pop in your mouth! Can’t wait to pair these with some of the other Caribbean food recipes I’m finding!
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Tonya!They sure are a mouthful
Maria says
What an awesome recipe. Made these for lunch to accompany a cream of asparagus soup and I loved them. The recipe is now going into my permanent recipe collection! Thanks Immaculate
ImmaculateBites says
Thanks for the feedback Maria!
Robbie says
wonderful recipe I adapted it a little bit by adding white potato it made it less meaty
ImmaculateBites says
Robbie,thanks for the feedback.
omobolanle B. says
C’ommon woman! All these recipes? C’ommon!!! To say They’re great is an understatemen. I can’t comment on all the recipes but, you got yourself a new fan& follower, I’m in love with most of your recipes,great work sis, Kudos!
ImmaculateBites says
Awww, thank you so much. Now don;t forget to let me know how you like the ones you try. Thanks again for taking the time to leave a comment, greatly appreciated
Abby says
My parents boil the fish to get the excess salt out. You can do this if you don’t want to wait over night or days and it only takes about 20-30 mins to boil. The longer you leave it the more the salt is remove, sometime if its still to salty you may have to change the water once an boil again for about 5-10more mins. I absolutely love this hors d’oeuvres mix mayo and horse radish together for a dip.
ImmaculateBites says
Abby, thanks for sharing!
Mira says
Jamaican food is tasty and flavorful, just as these fritters look on the photo! White fish tastes so much better fried, too! Saving the recipe and will try them soon!
ImmaculateBites says
Mira, let me know how it works for you!
Olivette says
Hi, I just finished using ur recipes it came out good an nice I had want to show u a pic of wa u make me do but don’t Kno how to send it to u but practice makes perfect an I did a great job for my first time thank u so much….
ImmaculateBites says
Awesome! I would love to see the pic . Can you do it on instagram ? Thanks for letting me know
Vee says
I grew up in the Caribbean and ate these fritters all the time. The cod is usually soaked overnight, so that there’s still a little saltiness to it and no additional salt is needed. This is pretty much the same recipe my mother used. Brings back memories. Thank you!
ImmaculateBites says
Vee, thanks for stopping by!
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
I seriously can’t stop eating until I finish all of them! These fish bites look droolworthy!
ImmaculateBites says
I know what you mean Angie.Thanks
Julie @ This Gal Cooks says
WHOA! I want to stuff my face with this awesomeness right now! These look great! 🙂
ImmaculateBites says
Julie ,they sure taste even better.
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
I have never had little fritters like these before! They look and sound delicious and are definitely something that I need to recreate asap!
ImmaculateBites says
You should thalia- let me know how it works for you!
Tenderly says
I prepared these last night && they were a BIG Hit! I’ve been cooking since I was 9 & I can’t say I remember a spice called “smoked paprika” that said, thank you for that introduction. ..Amazing!
ImmaculateBites says
Yay!!!So happy to hear you like smoked paprika. Although it’s got me in trouble a few times,it’s a spice that I really like and adds flavor to most recipes.Just can’t help but use it.
Nagi@RecipeTin Eats says
It’s super early where I am so not sure if I’m missing it in the instructions – is it 1/2 lb of salted fish? Can’t see it in the ingredients. These little bombs of deep fried goodness are right up my alley. Being of Japanese background, I’m used to fish and seafood in all sorts of preserved forms. Dried salted fish is DELICIOUS. In Japan little dried fish, like white bait, are served as snacks instead of peanuts at bars! I love, love, LOVE this! And they come out so round? So the batter is thick enough so if you drop spoonfuls into the oil they hold their shape well?
ImmaculateBites says
Nagi, it is not you ..it is me- thanks for pointing that out.
R C says
Yes Nagi they’re thick enough to drop by the spoonful.