Tri tri accra

Ingredients

The fish

• 400 gtri tri
• tiny river fry
• fresh, rinsed and drained
• or 400 g whitebait
• see the note on the fishery

The batter

• 200 gplain flour
• 1 teaspoonbaking powder
• half a teaspoon salt
• 1egg, beaten
• about 200 ml water

The seasoning

• 4chives or spring onions
• chopped very finely
• 3 clovesgarlic, crushed
• 1hot pepper, chopped
• seeded, or left in
• a sprig of thyme, leaves only
• a little chopped celery leaf
• a squeeze of lime
• black pepper

For frying

• 500 mlvegetable oil
• or coconut oil
• or enough for 3 cm depth

To serve

• lime wedges
• Vincentian pepper sauce
• cold beer or mauby
• bread, optional

Directions

1. Use them the same day they are caught. Keep them cold on ice until you cook them. Discard them if they smell at all sour. Rinse the fry gently in cold water. Pick out leaves, twigs and any debris.
2. Pick out larger fish that came in the net. Drain them thoroughly in a fine sieve. Spread them on a cloth and pat them dry. Wet fish make a heavy, wet batter. Chop it very finely with the garlic.
3. Add thyme leaves and celery leaf. Caribbean hot peppers are very hot indeed. Leave the seeds in for a fierce one. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the centre of the flour. Add the beaten egg into the well. Pour the water in gradually while whisking.
4. Whisk until smooth with no lumps at all. The batter should be thick, not runny. Stir the chopped seasonings into the batter. Add the lime juice and black pepper. Fold rather than stir, so they stay whole. There should be more fish than batter. Let the mixture stand for ten minutes. Fill the pan no more than one third full. Never leave hot oil unattended at all.
5. Keep a well fitting lid within reach. If it catches fire, turn off the heat. Heat it to about one hundred and eighty degrees. It should sizzle and rise immediately. Drop in spoonfuls of the mixture. Use a tablespoon pushed off with another. Do not crowd the pan at any point.
6. Fry four or five fritters at a time. Fry them for about three minutes a side. Turn them once with a slotted spoon. They should be deep golden and crisp. Break the first one open to check it. Adjust the timing if the middle is raw.
7. Lift them out and drain them on a rack. Sprinkle a little salt while still hot. Let the oil recover between batches. Serve them hot with wedges of lime. They are eaten with a cold beer.

Technique

• Tri tri and Dominica’s titiwi are the same fish and the same fritter under two names. The atlas records them as one shared Windward Islands tradition rather than as competing dishes — the rivers and the fish cross no borders.
• These are the fry of river gobies of the genus Sicydium, returning from the sea to swim upstream. Netting a run takes fish before they have bred, and the gobies also need free-flowing rivers that dams, extraction and sediment block. Several Caribbean populations have declined and Saint Vincent has periodically restricted the fishery. The atlas has no current stock figures and will not invent one; the honest position is that this is a short-season delicacy, not a staple, and that the seasonality is itself a restraint.
• Tiny fry spoil quickly because of their surface area. Use them the same day, keep them on ice, and discard anything that smells sour.
• There should be more fish than batter. The batter binds; it is not the body of the fritter. Too much of it gives something doughy.
• Dry the fish properly before they meet the batter. Wet fish make a heavy mixture and spit hard in the oil.
• Caribbean hot peppers are very hot, and the oil clings to skin for hours and transfers to eyes long after washing. Wear gloves.
• Deep-frying rules apply: fill the pan no more than a third, never leave it unattended, keep a lid within reach, and never throw water on burning oil.
• The lime at the table is essential rather than decorative. It cuts the oil and lifts the fish.

Substitutions

• Whitebait replaces tri tri directly and is the closest widely available substitute.
• Frozen whitebait works; thaw it fully and dry it very thoroughly first.
• Salt cod, soaked and flaked, makes the standard Caribbean accra and is eaten year-round.
• Coconut oil replaces vegetable oil for frying and is used on the island.
• A habanero or Scotch bonnet replaces the local hot pepper closely.
• The egg can be left out for a plainer batter, with a little more water in its place.

Variations

• Titiwi accra in Dominica is the same fritter under the local name for the same fish.
• Tri tri cakes, pressed flat and pan-fried rather than dropped as fritters, are made in some Vincentian households.
• A tri tri stew, simmered with tomato, onion and pepper rather than battered, is another use of the catch.
• Saltfish accra is the year-round Caribbean fritter and uses the same batter and seasoning.
• Tri tri are also simply fried in a pan with onion and pepper, with no batter at all.
• New Zealand whitebait fritters use an almost identical technique with a different fish and far less batter.

History

Tri tri swarm river mouths after the new moon and are netted by hand; the fritters are a Vincentian delicacy of the rainy season.

Frequently asked questions

What is Tri tri accra?

Tri tri accra is a snack from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: fritters of tiny river fry, fried whole in seasoned batter. Tri tri swarm river mouths after the new moon and are netted by hand; the fritters are a Vincentian delicacy of the rainy season.

How long does Tri tri accra take to make?

Tri tri accra takes 20 minutes of preparation and 20 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes makes about 20 fritters. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Tri tri accra?

Yes, within limits. Whitebait replaces tri tri directly and is the closest widely available substitute. Frozen whitebait works; thaw it fully and dry it very thoroughly first. Salt cod, soaked and flaked, makes the standard Caribbean accra and is eaten year-round. Coconut oil replaces vegetable oil for frying and is used on the island. A habanero or Scotch bonnet replaces the local hot pepper closely. The egg can be left out for a plainer batter, with a little more water in its place.

What is the most important thing to get right in Tri tri accra?

Whisk until smooth with no lumps at all. The batter should be thick, not runny. Stir the chopped seasonings into the batter. Add the lime juice and black pepper. Fold rather than stir, so they stay whole. There should be more fish than batter. Let the mixture stand for ten minutes. Fill the pan no more than one third full. Never leave hot oil unattended at all.