How to Cook Poached Salmon with Ackee and Callaloo

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 30 mins

Cooking time: 30 mins

Ingredients needed to make Poached Salmon with Ackee and Callaloo:

For the smoked salmon:

• 5 oz salmon fillets, boneless
• 1 vanilla pod, casing only
• 17 ½ fl oz semi-skimmed milk
• ½ cinnamon stick

For the ackee:

• 4 fl oz extra virgin rapeseed oil
• 5 plum tomatoes, peeled and rough;y chopped
• 15 oz canned ackee, drained and rinsed well
• 2 yellow peppers, finely sliced
• 2 red peppers, finely sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, grated
• One bunch of spring onions, finely sliced
• ½ tsp black peppercorns, cracked
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped
• 1 tsp allspice berries, cracked
• 1 tsp chili jam, made with scotch bonnet chillies
• 5 fl oz fish stock, if needed

For the callaloo:

• 1 lb callaloo, rinsed and dried

Cooking instructions for Poached Salmon with Ackee and Callaloo:

• For the smoked fish, pour milk into a deep heavy-bottomed frying pan and drop in the casing of vanilla pod, as well as cinnamon stick.
• Place the frying pan over moderate heat and cook until it starts simmering.
• Lower the fillets into the flavoured milk and cook for about 5 minutes or until they are cooked through.
• Remove the fillets from the pan by lifting it carefully with a fish slice and do away with the skin; keep them warm.
• To cook the ackee, pour ¾ of the rapeseed oil into a large pan and heat it slightly.
• Throw in the garlic and stir-fry for a couple of minutes or until fragrant.
• Add the thyme, allspice berries as well as peppercorns in the pan and continue to saute them for half a minute while stirring at times.
• Stir in the peppers as well spring onions and add a large dollop of the chili jam over them.
• Give it a nice stir and continue to stir-fry the mixture over slow flame for about 15 minutes or until the veggies give out juices and begins to wilt.
• Throw in the chopped tomatoes, followed by a splash of fish stock, in case the mixture tends to become too dry, and cook further for a minute.
• Stir in the ackee and bring the mixture to a simmer over slow flame.
• Meanwhile, to cook the callaloo, pour rest of the oil in a frying pan and dump the callaloo into it.
• Cook for a couple of minutes, while stirring continuously, until it wilts and transfer it to a side of the serving plates.
• Spread the ackee across the centre of each plate and place a smoked fish on top.
• Serve alongside the callaloo.

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons