Ingredients
Saltfish
- 300 gsalt cod
Batter
- 250 gplain flour
- 2 tspbaking powder
- about 250 ml water
- 1egg, optional
Seasoning
- 1onion, finely chopped
- 3spring onions
- 3 clovesgarlic
- 1scotch bonnet, deseeded and minced
- 1 sprigthyme, leaves picked
- 1tomato, finely diced
- 1 tspblack pepper
- 1 tsppaprika, optional
To fry
- oil, for shallow or deep frying
To serve
- hot, with hot pepper sauce
- or in a hard dough bread sandwich
Directions
- Salt cod arrived in Jamaica through the North Atlantic trade, shipped to plantation estates as cheap preserved protein, and it became central to the island’s cooking. The fritters are old-time fast food, sold from stalls and eaten hot from paper.
- Soak it in plenty of cold water for at least 12 hours, changing the water three or four times. A single long soak in the same water does far less than several changes, because the water saturates with salt. Taste it. If it is still too salty, soak or boil it again, because you cannot correct it once it is in the batter and the whole batch will be inedible.
- Flake it finely with your fingers, checking every piece, since a bone in a fritter is unpleasant and salt cod bones are sharp. Some cooks shred it very fine and others keep it in larger flakes, and both are made.
- Chop the onion, spring onion, garlic and chilli finely and pick the thyme leaves. Now the batter, which should be loose. Mix the flour and baking powder, then add water gradually to make a batter about the thickness of pancake batter.
- Add the water slowly and stop when it will drop from a spoon in a thick ribbon. Too thin and the fritters spread into flat lace; too thick and they are heavy and doughy. Stir in the flaked saltfish and all the seasonings. Taste it and add salt only if it needs it, which it usually will not.
- Let the batter rest 15 minutes, which lets the baking powder start working. Heat the oil in a wide heavy pan. Now drop spoonfuls of batter into the hot oil. Fry them at a steady moderate heat, about 175°C, for 2 to 3 minutes a side.
- Keep them small and flat, roughly the size of a large biscuit, so the middle cooks through. Do not crowd the pan, which drops the temperature and gives greasy fritters. Turn them once and press them lightly with the back of a spatula. Drain them on a rack rather than paper. Serve them hot, with a hot pepper sauce. They soften as they cool and are best within minutes of frying.
Technique
- Salt cod quality varies enormously, so taste as you soak.
- The fritters are also called saltfish fritters and bammy is a different cassava flatbread.
- They are eaten at breakfast alongside ackee and saltfish.
Substitutions
- Any salted white fish, prepared the same way.
- Fresh cod with added salt, which is not the same but works.
Variations
- Made small, as party food.
- In a hard dough bread sandwich.
- With more scotch bonnet, which is common.
History
Salt cod fritters named after a naval order to move quickly; salt cod arrived through the North Atlantic trade with plantation estates.
Frequently asked questions
What is Stamp and Go?
Stamp and Go is a snack from Jamaica: crispy saltfish fritters, old-time fast food. Salt cod fritters named after a naval order to move quickly; salt cod arrived through the North Atlantic trade with plantation estates.
How long does Stamp and Go take to make?
Stamp and Go takes 30 min plus overnight soaking of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes about 20 fritters. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Stamp and Go?
Yes, within limits. Any salted white fish, prepared the same way. Fresh cod with added salt, which is not the same but works.
What is the most important thing to get right in Stamp and Go?
Soak it in plenty of cold water for at least 12 hours, changing the water three or four times. A single long soak in the same water does far less than several changes, because the water saturates with salt. Taste it. If it is still too salty, soak or boil it again, because you cannot correct it once it is in the batter and the whole batch will be inedible.
