Spiced Jamaican Saltfish fritters – Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. A tastebud sensation!
I like to think of these salt fish fritters as your ticket to a Caribbean culinary vacation, without the high price of a plane ticket or hotel room.
Can this Jamaican salt fish fritters really make you get a taste of the Caribbean? Absolutely. 
Whether you are from the Caribbean Islands or trying to enjoy something different, these Jamaican saltfish fritters will definitely appeal to you. Fresh from the fryer and paired with pepper sauce makes for one happy camper.
Dry salted saltfish is cod fish that has been preserved by drying after salting. Without the salt, it is most often referred to as stockfish. (A very popular and expensive dried fish used in African cooking). In Italy it is known as baccala and the Portuguese call it bacalhau.
No matter what the name, it is dried Atlantic cod. To make this fish edible, it is important that you soak the fish in water for about 1-3 days to get rid of the salt – if not, you will have wasted an expensive fish. This is not a spur of the moment fritters, unless you get your cod fish from a seller that sells it frozen and it has been desalted for you. 
Okay, I know you are wondering why go through all this trouble to use salted codfish, can’t you just use regular white flesh fish? Well, it is the same as comparing prosciutto to ham. Why use prosciutto when you can just use ham. It is all about the flavor – nothing compares. You may serve it with this pepper sauce.
Enjoy!
If you love this saltfish then try this salt fish and bake featured here.
Watch How to Make It
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Salt Fish Fritters
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound boneless salted cod fish or use any white fish
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ½ medium onion finely diced
- ½ teaspoon minced scotch bonnet pepper replace with hot sauce
- 3 tablespoon parsley minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme minced
- 2 tablespoons minced bell pepper
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 -1/2 cup milk or water
- Freshly grated pepper to taste
- Vegetable oil for frying about 3 cups
Instructions
- Soak salt fish in water overnight or several days (water changed several times). Drain and shred fish using a food processor to achieve a really fine shred. If not finely shred by hands
- Combine the dry ingredients, flour baking powder, smoked paprika, granulated garlic and sugar. Stir for about a minute then add onions, salted shredded fish, thyme, and red bell pepper, scotch bonnet parsley and egg
- Whisk until ingredients have been blended. Then add milk gradually starting from about 1/3 cup until desired thickness.
- Adjust seasonings.
- You may have to do a test taste first
- Heat oil to 350 degrees in a skillet or saucepan. You may also use the oil test by dropping a 1-inch square of bread into the oil. If it takes 60 seconds to brown, then the oil is at around 350 degrees.
- Carefully place spoonfuls of the batter into the hot oil and fry for 3-4- minutes, or until the fritters are crisp and golden-brown (you may need to do this in batches). Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- You may drain on paper napkin to remove any excess oil
Nutrition Information:
Yan says
I prepared these in a rush but I did not measure the ingredients correctly. They were a bit tough and chewy for me but my friends seemed to love them. With that said, I am going to give them a try again and take my time. I am rating it 5 stars because being familiar with saltfish fritters and saltfish balls, I know it is a good recipe. Thank You!
Imma says
I’m glad that you love this as much as I do. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Annabell says
Thank you for sharing. Looking forward to making these. Can I use gluten free self raising flour?
ImmaculateBites says
yes you sure can.
Phoebe says
This recipe is a major winner! So tasty
IMMACULATE BITES says
Thank you for your words, it motivates me to work on more amazing recipes:)
Janai sargent says
Thank you so much am in school and we are cooking foood
Imma says
Great to hear that. Thank you so much for your love:)
Avril says
This was a hit with my family on game night. It reminded me of “Archie” which was made by my Jamaican Chinese neighbor. I made one changed used finely minced spring onion instead of onion. Keeper.
imma africanbites says
Woohoo! Thanks for sharing that tip, Avril. I’m definitely adding this to my game night menu. Enjoy your weekend!
Sharon says
Delicious.
Immaculate Bites says
Thank you, Sharon! 🙂
Marina Amoroso says
I never knew egg was added to this mix
Immaculate Bites says
Hi Marina, yes, I added 1 egg just to make sure it won’t be too dry and will help form better. 🙂 You may take out the egg, if you prefer. Let me know how it goes. Enjoy!