This Jamaican saltfish recipe is made using gluten free flour, generously seasoned and lightly fried for a golden crisp coating with a soft chewy interior.
Saltfish fritters or (flitters as my grandmother called them) is my absolute favourite Jamaican savoury appetizer so much so, that I felt compelled to share the recipe with you all. The crispiest, Caribbean style fish cakes that are lightly seasoned then the batter is fried to a golden crisp. This recipe is every seafood lovers culinary paradise, don’t be fooled by the use of gluten free flour (it’s a wheat free alternative for those who can’t tolerant wheat products) the results are the same as using regular flour.
I wish I could take the full credit for this recipe, but like so many that I have on my website. This recipe was passed down from my grandmother, to my mother and now to me. In essence this is a family recipe, like so many Caribbean cuisines. Each Islander will make their fritters slightly different, some add scallion, raising agents i.e baking powder, additional spices, thyme and/or sweet peppers while others don’t.
There’s really no right or wrong when it comes to fritters because the results are near enough the same – crispy with a soft centre. My family are partial to adding the leaves from the stems of fresh thyme, we don’t really add bell peppers to our fritters and scallion is included sometimes because we use a great deal of onion.
Fritters are served mostly for breakfast, lunch or as an appetizer but you are more than welcome to embrace the recipe by eating any it time of day. You can even include some dipping if you wish….
Making saltfish fritters using my D.I.Y unrefined saltfish method
I tweaked the recipe slightly by making it using my unrefined “saltfish method. Please feel free check out my variation of making my own D.I.Y saltfish using a few fillets of fish and some himalayan pink salt.
This replicates a much healthier version of the saltfish that most Caribbean people are used to consuming. It’s free from white, table salt that actually destroys the body and is responsible for renal disease and high blood pressure (something which is so common among Afro-Caribbeans) preservatives with a much better control over the salt content.
This recipe for Jamaican saltfish fritters calls for………..
- Gluten free flour (I used Bob Red mills 1 to 1 baking flour)
- Saltfish
- Onion
- Tomato
- Black pepper
- Garlic
- Fresh thyme
- Water
- Oil – coconut or olive (both have a high smoke point)
How to make saltfish fritters
- Place the shredded saltfish in a medium sized bowl (picture 1)
- Mix together the onion and garlic until fully combined (picture 2)
- Pick the leaves from the stems of the thyme and sprinkle in along with the black pepper into the saltfish. (picture 3)
- Add the scotch bonnet (if using), tomato and fold in so all of the ingredients are evenly distributed. (picture 4-5)
- Add the flour and then slowly mix in the water to form a smooth batter – shouldn’t be too runny nor too thick. (picture 6-7)
- Preheat a sturdy non stick frying pan on medium heat and pour in the oil (I used a total of 1/4 cup for the entire batch) and spoon a small amount of the fritter mixture into the frying pan. repeat…being careful not to overcrowd the pan. (picture 8)
- Reduce the heat to low-medium and cook each side until golden brown, carefully move the pan from side to side to distribute the oil evenly (helps the fritters cook quicker).
- Once cooked place each fritter on some paper towel to absorb any extra oil
- Repeat the above 3 steps with the rest of the batter.
Tips on making the best Jamaican saltfish fritters
- Don’t spoon too much of the batter into the frying pan. The fritters will naturally increase somewhat in volume which is why I don’t use raising agents.
- Don’t pile on too much batter onto each fritter. In order for them to crisp up well they shouldn’t be too dense when cooking in the pan.
- Make sure your batter isn’t too thick nor too runny. It should be a medium consistency, if it’s too runny add a tablespoon more of flour. If too thick, thin it out with a splash of water.
- The membrane of the scotch bonnet is where the heat is, how much you use it up to.
- If you don’t care for heat then leave out the scotch bonnet.
- If you cannot get hold of scotch bonnet use a harbanero or chilli instead
- Feel free to add scallion and bell peppers -1/2 if using. Add them along with the onions, just mix them in!
- I used a total of 270g of shredded fish to make my saltfish. That’s 2 cups worth in total. If you aren’t using the method then use 1 1/2 pack of saltfish
- Make sure to use a non stick frying pan to eliminate using an excess amount of oil. It will take awhile for it to crisp up with the amount of oil I used but it’s healthier than deep fat frying your fritters.
Frequently asked questions
Can I make fritters using the air fryer
Yes, however….If you want to make this using an air fryer then you will need to add up to another cup of flour in the batter to make it more dense and air fryer friendly.
I’m Caribbean but not gluten free, will this recipe still work with regular flour
I understand Caribbean people are not partial to using regular flour. Yes, if you aren’t wheat intolerant, use regular flour instead
Can I make this with a dipping sauce
Yes, you can serve it with a dip
What can I served the saltfish fritters with
Callaloo (spinach), green banana or another of vegetable.
More fish recipes you may like
Jamaican saltfish and callaloo
Spicy sweet shrimp and plantain
Crispy oven baked prawn fritters
Jamaican saltfish fritters
Ingredients
- 2 cups of saltfish shredded(see post for unrefined version)(270g)
- 1 cup of gluten free flour 140g(Bob red mills 1 to 1 flour)
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1 small tomato chopped
- 1 garlic clove chopped finely
- 1 tsp of black pepper
- 5 sprigs of fresh thyme or 1/2 tbsp dried thyme
- 1 cup of water 8oz/ 250ml
- 1/2 bell pepper chopped (optional)
- Olive or coconut oil for frying I used 1/4 cup, non stick frying pan
- scotch bonnet optional, I used 1/2 for extra heat!
Instructions
- Place the shredded saltfish in a medium sized bowl
- Mix together the onion and garlic until fully combined
- Pick the leaves from the stems of the thyme and sprinkle in along with the black pepper into the saltfish.
- Add the scotch bonnet (if using), tomato and fold in so all of the ingredients are evenly distributed.
- Add the flour and then slowly mix in the water to form a smooth batter - shouldn't be too runny nor too thick.
- Preheat a sturdy non stick frying pan on medium heat and pour in the oil (I used a total of 1/4 cup for the entire batch) and spoon a small amount of the fritter mixture into the frying pan. repeat...being careful not to overcrowd the pan.
- Reduce the heat to low-medium and cook each side until golden brown, carefully move the pan from side to side to distribute the oil evenly (helps the fritters cook quicker).
- Once cooked place each fritter on some paper towel to absorb any extra oil
- Repeat the above 3 steps with the rest of the batter.
Notes
- Don't spoon too much of the batter into the frying pan. The fritters will naturally increase somewhat in volume which is why I don't use raising agents.
- Don't pile on too much batter onto each fritter. In order for them to crisp up well they shouldn't be too dense when cooking in the pan.
- Make sure your batter isn't too thick nor too runny. It should be a medium consistency, if it's too runny add a tablespoon more of flour. If too thick, thin it out with a splash of water.
- The membrane of the scotch bonnet is where the heat is, how much you use it up to.
- If you don't care for heat then leave out the scotch bonnet.
- If you cannot get hold of scotch bonnet use a harbanero or chilli instead
- Feel free to add scallion and bell peppers -1/2 if using. Add them along with the onions, just mix them in!
- I used a total of 270g of shredded fish to make my saltfish. That's 2 cups worth in total. If you aren't using the method then use 1 1/2 pack of saltfish
- Make sure to use a non stick frying pan to eliminate using an excess amount of oil. It will take awhile for it to crisp up with the amount of oil I used but it's healthier than deep fat frying your fritters.
Nutrition
When buying the saltfish do you soak it for a bit so it won’t be too salty?
The traditional method is to soak the saltfish in water overnight then rinse off the saltfish and use a fresh batch of water to boil off the excess salt.
Thank you for sharing instructions on how to make your own salted cod fish! I did not grow up with this food staple and never learned how to remove the salt without soaking away the flavor! My Caribbean husband will love these fish cakes!
You are welcome. I always aim to make my recipes as user friendly as possible especially for people like yourself who may not be Caribbean but want to make a recipe for whatever reason. I hope your husband enjoys the fritters!!
One of my favourites done to perfection
Glad you are a fan of fritters too Tanesha