Jamaican Akkra

Akkra are fritt ers made of black-eyed peas. Of West African origin, this dish made its way over to the Caribbean and Brazil during the slave trade. In the traditional versions, black-eyed peas are pounded with seasonings in a mortar and pestle and then pan fried in palm oil. Less widely consumed today, akkra was a wildly popular dish in 19th-century Jamaica—and it is so delicious, we can see why! Our modern variation includes ginger and scallion. Serve the akkra topped with various homemade condiments, as pictured. A platt er of them provides an easy, casual snack for entertaining.

Makes 25 to 30

1 cup black-eyed peas 1 onion, chopped 5 tablespoons chopped scallion 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger 1 teaspoon minced Scotch bonnet pepper 1 teaspoon minced garlic 1 tablespoon chopped parsley 1 tablespoon thyme leaves 2 tablespoons cornmeal Salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste ½ to 1 cup coconut oil for deep frying Place the black-eyed peas in a large bowl and add water to cover. Soak overnight. Th e next morning, while the beans are still in the soaking water, rub them between your hands to remove their skins. Th e skins will rise to the surface of the water, where they can be skimmed off . Drain the beans.

Place the beans and the onion, scallion, ginger, Scotch bonnet pepper, garlic, parsley, thyme, and cornmeal in the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth, adding just enough water (¼ to ½ cup) to form a thick paste. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat about 1 inch of oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Working in batches, drop spoonfuls of the batt er into the hot oil and fry, turning, until they brown on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels, and keep warm until all the batt er has been used up. Transfer to a warmed platt er. Editor’s Note: Th e full recipe recommends topping the a kkra fritt ers with Garlic-Lime Sauce, Pickled Cucumber, or Watermelon-Lemongrass Chutney. Find the recipes for all three in the cookbook, Provisions.

Recipes in this story are excerpted from Provisions: Th e Roots of Caribbean Cooking— 150 Vegetarian Recipes by Michelle Rousseau and Suzanne Rousseau. Copyright © 2018. Available from Da Capo Lifelong Books, an imprint of Perseus Books, LLC, a subsidiary of Hachett e Book Group, Inc.