Brontez Purnell joins chef Sarah Kirnon, owner of Oakland-based Caribbean restaurant Miss Ollie’s, in her home kitchen as she shares a salt fish and ackee recipe inspired by her childhood in Barbados.
While they prepare the dish, Brontez and Sarah discuss regional interpretations of Black cuisine, salt fish as hangover cure, and they prepare a plate for the ancestors.
How to Make Miss Ollie's Salt Fish and Ackee:
- 1 lb. dried salt cod
- 2 tbsp. canola oil
- 1 tbsp. fresh thyme leaves and oregano
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1/2 large yellow onion, chopped
- 1 tomato, cored and chopped
- 1 each red and green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
- 1⁄2 Scotch bonnet or habanero chile, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1 (19-oz.) can ackee, rinsed and drained
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Place cod in a 2-qt. saucepan, and cover by 2″ with cold water; bring to a boil over high heat, and cook for 20 minutes. Drain cod, return to saucepan, and repeat process twice more ( if needed, taste for salt level) Transfer cod to a bowl, and flake with a fork into large chunks; set aside. Heat oil in a 12″ skillet over medium-high heat; add thyme, oregano, garlic, onion, tomato, peppers, and chile, and cook, stirring, until soft, about 10 minutes. Add reserved cod, the scallions, and ackee, and cook, stirring gently to keep cod and ackee in large pieces, until warmed through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately with fried plantains or coconut rice and peas
About Cooking with Brontez: KQED Food's new series Cooking With Brontez brings viewers into the home kitchen as we truly know it: lively, chaotic, and full of good humor. Every Monday beginning November 2021, visit the KQED Food channel on YouTube for hilarious and charming home-cooking tutorials hosted by celebrated Oakland author and performer Brontez Purnell. Join Brontez as he drops in on a host of local chefs and friends to share a spicy culinary adventure in this public media cooking show for a new era.