“Accras” are my favorite treat that I make sure to have every time I visit St. Lucia, but I also love to make them at home when I find myself reminiscing of the delicious Caribbean cuisine in St. Lucia.
What Are Accras?
Accrasare essentially a salt fish fritter, Caribbean style. Salt fish is actually just salted cod, which originated from the explorers who brought it with them on their ships and voyages since the salt would help it keep longer. Salt fish was introduced to the St. Lucian culture this way, and has remained in their recipes to this day.
They are savory and delicious, and are easily eaten out of moderation when by yourself – which is why they make for a great starter or appetizer if you’re hosting a Caribbean-themed dinner party or night of entertainment.
How to Make Accras
It was Christine and Flora, housekeepers here at Oasis Marigot and who also serve as local cooks when you decide to hire a private cook for your villa. They are experts at preparing authentic St. Lucia cuisine, so they are the perfect people to show us how to do it. In fact, alongside accras, I always have to ask Christine to prepare me one of her famous coconut pies every time I’m on the island as well!
Today we’re making accras in the kitchen of the Great House in Marigot Bay.
Ingredients (Makes 20-30 Accras):
- 1/2 lb boneless salt fish (dry salted cod)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 tablespoon green onion finely chopped
- 1 small red bell pepper finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (use a garlic press if you have one)
- 1 tablespoon parsley chopped
- 1 teaspoon creole seasoning (Baron)
- 1 teaspoon West Indian hot pepper sauce
- 1 egg
- Dash fresh ground black pepper
- ¼ to 1/2 cup water
- Pinch of sugar
- Vegetable oil for frying (about 2-3 cups)
Step 1: Boil the Saltfish
In a large pot cover the salt fish with water an bring to a boil and reduce the heat to simmer for about 20 minutes. I like to repeat this process twice to make sure the salt fish is not too salty.
After the salt fish has been simmering, drain the fish and rinse under cold water.
Shred the fish with your finger (I like it a bit chunky).
Step 2: Prepare The BatterMix
Finely chop,grate, and add in all the ingredients above into a mixing bowl (except the flour, water and salt fish for now).
Give it a good stir altogether and add in the boiled and drained salt fish.
Now you can add the flour.
And then you can start slowly adding in the water and stirring while doing so. The goal is to get a nice thick batter.
This is looking pretty good. Nice job Christine! 😉
Step 3: Into the Frying Pan!
Once the batter is ready, start heating the vegetable oil in a large frying pan at medium/high heat. Once the oil is at the right temperate for frying add a heaping teaspoon of the batter in small amounts (you don’t want to over crowd the pan).
It will take a few minutes on each side and when they start floating they are ready to flip. The accras should be golden brown on each side.
Step 4: Dry Off and Serve!
Lay the cooked accras on paper towels to absorb the excess oil.
We recommend serving these delicious accras with your favorite dipping sauceand a beautiful tropical view!
(I like mine with a spicy tamarind dipping sauce).
And of course a special thanks to the beautiful and talented Christine and Flora for sharing their accra recipe with us, and with all of you!
If you come visit us in St. Lucia, remember you can have one of our local private cooks prepare traditional St. Lucian meals for you in the privacy of your villa, just in case you’re not up for making it yourself – because hey, you’re here to relax after all! 😉
Happy travels,
-Lauren, Oasis Team
