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
Spiced Jamaican Saltfish fritters – Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. A tastebud sensation!
- 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
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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
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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
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Whisk until ingredients have been blended. Then add milk gradually starting from about 1/3 cup until desired thickness.
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Adjust seasonings.
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You may have to do a test taste first
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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.
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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.
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You may drain on paper napkin to remove any excess oil
Your website has been amazing. I was really missing home(St. Maarten) while staying in Scotland so decided I wanted to make a Caribbean feast. My go to dishes I wanted was salt fish fritters(accra), jerk chicken, and rice and peas. I have never made any of these dishes before and they were not only easy to make but they tasted just like home. These fritters were amazing, better than I ever could have imagined. Thank you so much!
AMAZING! High-five on nailing the recipes 🙂 ! I am so glad your Caribbean feast was a success. Thanks for sharing, Tara!
I have made several of your recipes and all have been delicious. Just made these but used canned wild salmon and added some salt since not using saltfish. Perfect recipe, came out beautifully and tight amou t of flavor.
Terrific!!! I am so glad to hear it turned out great, Sonja!
Excellent, came out perfectly! One of the best recipes out there
Hi really looking forward to making this and can’t wait to try it. Just wanted to ask, can I make the mixture from the night before?
I make them, place in a single layer, freeze, until hard . Remove and throw in a ziplock or freezer bag. Fry as needed. So you can make them way in advance.
Happy cooking!!
I must be doing something wrong because my fritters always seem to come out soggy in the middle. How can I present this from happening am I using too much “batter” and not enough fish or vice versa. Thank you for any help you can provide
There might be a variety of reasons why this is happening. It might be the temperature of the oil, use a thermometer, if possible . Also if you over crowd the pan it might bring down the temperature of the oil resulting in soggy fritters.
Also, it might simply be the temperature is too high so it only gives the impression that your fritters are cooked but only cooks the outside. Temperature should be on medium to high.
This has become my go to base recipe for salted fish fritters. Everyone who I ate them love them and I’ll always getting requests for more. I find myself whenever I’m looking for a recipe, first looking to see if you have it before I look else’s. Kudos to your amazing talent
Hi Ayanna,
Thank you so much for your kind words. Am so glad you took time out to share this- really appreciate it.
I’m Jamaican and we usually free hand our mixtures. Needless to say I was having an apartment warming and did not want to chance a free hand. Based on the comments I knew this was it. I didn’t even make before hand as a tester. I quadrupled the recipe made and served on the day with sweet chilli sauce among other tid bits. It was a big hit. Thank you so much. Only my grandmother could’ve made these better. Or maybe not! They are just that good.
Awesome! So happy to hear it was a hit with the family. Thanks for taking time out to share your thoughts with us .
Very easy and straight forward never knew how to make it and I tried for the first time and they came out perfect
There isn’t enough ⭐’s here. Can I tell you I LOVE this recipe? Kudos
Awww.. Thank you. 🙂
By far the best recipe for Jamaican Fish Cakes. I like that there is fish in every bite, it is not doughy like most in my area. And so long as your oil is hot enough but not too hot. They are not greasy at all. Nice crust and deliciousness inside. I live in NYC and there are many many West Indian restaurants in my area. These fish cakes outdo them all. I have made these several times when hosting parties, and they go fast. I usually make a spiced Tamarind Sauce to accompany these. Thanks for a great recipe. Fish cakes was a childhood Fav. 4 for $1 back then. So glad I can make them at home whenever so inclined. Thanks for this amazing recipe.
Chef Dee
I just made these and I can say these are amazing!! Such an easy recipe and delicious. Reminds me of ordering from the neighborhood Jamaican restaurant in Brooklyn.
I used this recipe yesterday it was simple and straight to the point and taste just like the expensive ones i get from the Caribbean restaurants here in NYC
Awesome, so happy to hear it worked out well for you.
this looks absolutely delicious
Made these yesterday and are honestly the best recipe I’ve come across. So tasty. Saving this for next time x
Awesome! Thanks for the Feedback!
These are quite fantastic. they remind me of my friend Claudette’s cooking. She is from Jamaica and a wonderful cook. Your recipe was easy to understand but what should or maybe what kind of condiment would go with them especially well? Any thoughts? Thank you for your post
Just lovely
Hi Joe! It’s using serve with dipping sauce . When entertaining I serve with two dipping sauces – remoulade and hot pepper sauce.
i am sure that some of your recipes come from Grenada as well, not just Jamaica as I am sure that Jamaica is not the only Caribbean island in the west indies.
My mum maks this all the time, along with curry goat, roti, rice and peas
Oh Yes! This is enjoyed through out the Caribbeans and other parts of the world
Hi, I want to make these for a Christmas Eve party, I live 350 miles away from where the party is can I freeze and reheat when I get there?
Hi there ! You sure can. Make it ,let it cool. Freeze and reheat right before serving .
I love the round ones I always make the square ones this is must try it look do yummy
do you go from frozen state to oven or thaw first then reheat?
Hi Kathy, Frozen to oven works just fine.
I live in barbados we called dem fish cakes hear and there r very tasty love dem great recipe
Thanks Lindy
How did you get them so perfect. Did you use a icecream scoop? I made some this morning from my Grandmother’s recipe which is pretty close to yours but for her, you use a little of this and a little of that. I made 3 pounds for my Godson’s HS graduation party. I sure hope they are enjoyed. Love your recipe and will try it soon. Just need to know how to get them in bite size perfect form like yours. Thanks for sharing!
I used my hands(check it out here (https://www.africanbites.com/puff-puff/) to get it to that shape . It’s a bit of practice but you can do it. An ice cream scoop would do the job too.
Big Congratulation on your Godson’s graduation!!!!
Happy Cooking!!!
hi i have been eating and making salt fish fritters nearly all my life no two recipes are the same, it seems every island in the west indies very, then i stumbled upon yours and ive got to say YES yours is the best, last time i made them there was a batch of 75 for my son wife and my self, well it worked out 2 for him two for her and the rest for me, if only.
well its saturday night and just finished making another batch i will now leave the mix over night and after church in the morning, salt fish fritters for breakfast,cant wait..
keep up the good work
dave
Thank you so much David! That is such a sweet thing to say! So happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe!
These fritters were so yummylicious!!! I soaked the salt fish for about 8 hours and boiled it for about 15 minutes. They had the perfect amount of salt. Thank you!!!
Thanks for sharing Sabine!
Hi! I plan to make these soon and i just wondered how many individual fritters this recipe makes?
Thanks!
Hi Laura! It makes about 15 depending on the size.
Hi, I tried these yesterday. The recipe was super easy and delicious. Thank you.
Hi Rachel!Glad to hear you enjoyed it
These look delicious, pop in your mouth! Can’t wait to pair these with some of the other Caribbean food recipes I’m finding!
Hi Tonya!They sure are a mouthful
What an awesome recipe. Made these for lunch to accompany a cream of asparagus soup and I loved them. The recipe is now going into my permanent recipe collection! Thanks Immaculate
Thanks for the feedback Maria!
wonderful recipe I adapted it a little bit by adding white potato it made it less meaty
Robbie,thanks for the feedback.
C’ommon woman! All these recipes? C’ommon!!! To say They’re great is an understatemen. I can’t comment on all the recipes but, you got yourself a new fan& follower, I’m in love with most of your recipes,great work sis, Kudos!
Awww, thank you so much. Now don;t forget to let me know how you like the ones you try. Thanks again for taking the time to leave a comment, greatly appreciated
My parents boil the fish to get the excess salt out. You can do this if you don’t want to wait over night or days and it only takes about 20-30 mins to boil. The longer you leave it the more the salt is remove, sometime if its still to salty you may have to change the water once an boil again for about 5-10more mins. I absolutely love this hors d’oeuvres mix mayo and horse radish together for a dip.
Abby, thanks for sharing!
Jamaican food is tasty and flavorful, just as these fritters look on the photo! White fish tastes so much better fried, too! Saving the recipe and will try them soon!
Mira, let me know how it works for you!
Hi, I just finished using ur recipes it came out good an nice I had want to show u a pic of wa u make me do but don’t Kno how to send it to u but practice makes perfect an I did a great job for my first time thank u so much….
Awesome! I would love to see the pic . Can you do it on instagram ? Thanks for letting me know
I grew up in the Caribbean and ate these fritters all the time. The cod is usually soaked overnight, so that there’s still a little saltiness to it and no additional salt is needed. This is pretty much the same recipe my mother used. Brings back memories. Thank you!
Vee, thanks for stopping by!
I seriously can’t stop eating until I finish all of them! These fish bites look droolworthy!
I know what you mean Angie.Thanks
WHOA! I want to stuff my face with this awesomeness right now! These look great! 🙂
Julie ,they sure taste even better.
I have never had little fritters like these before! They look and sound delicious and are definitely something that I need to recreate asap!
You should thalia- let me know how it works for you!
I prepared these last night && they were a BIG Hit! I’ve been cooking since I was 9 & I can’t say I remember a spice called “smoked paprika” that said, thank you for that introduction. ..Amazing!
Yay!!!So happy to hear you like smoked paprika. Although it’s got me in trouble a few times,it’s a spice that I really like and adds flavor to most recipes.Just can’t help but use it.
It’s super early where I am so not sure if I’m missing it in the instructions – is it 1/2 lb of salted fish? Can’t see it in the ingredients. These little bombs of deep fried goodness are right up my alley. Being of Japanese background, I’m used to fish and seafood in all sorts of preserved forms. Dried salted fish is DELICIOUS. In Japan little dried fish, like white bait, are served as snacks instead of peanuts at bars! I love, love, LOVE this! And they come out so round? So the batter is thick enough so if you drop spoonfuls into the oil they hold their shape well?
Nagi, it is not you ..it is me- thanks for pointing that out.