Ackee Tacos With Island Guacamole

Name: Ackee Tacos With Island Guacamole
Yield: 4–6 servings
Ingredients: 3 medium avocados, peeled, pitted, and sliced; 1 to 2 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced; 3 tablespoons diced red onion; 1/2 cup diced pineapple or mango; 1 tablespoon lime juice; 1 tablespoon orange juice; 1 teaspoon orange zest; 1 teaspoon minced Scotch bonnet pepper; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 3 to 4 tablespoons chopped cilantro; Salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste; 2 to 3 tablespoons coconut oil or other vegetable oil; 1 small yellow onion, diced; 1 plum tomato, diced; 2 cloves garlic, diced; 4 tablespoons diced bell pepper; 1/4 teaspoon seeded and minced Scotch bonnet pepper; 1 stalk scallion; 2 dozen frozen ackee or 2 cans ackee, drained (or 2 cups ackee, cooked from fresh); 1 teaspoon thyme leaves; 1/2 teaspoon chili powder; Salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste; 12 taco shells (either soft or crunchy); 2/3 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese; 1 cup shredded lettuce or purple cabbage; 1 large handful chopped fresh cilantro; Salsa (optional); Sour cream (optional)

By Michelle Rousseau and Suzanne Rousseau

January 9, 2020

Photo by Ellen Silverman

While shooting the photos for our first cookbook, Caribbean Potluck, our food stylists, Christine Albano and Nora Singley, came up with the novel idea that ackee would make a terrific taco filling. We love ackee and have prepared it in a variety of unconventional ways (as a dip, in a pasta sauce, in lasagna, on a pizza), but it had never occurred to us to use it as a filling for tacos. Boy, was that a fantastic idea! Though it is Jamaica’s national fruit, ackee is cooked and used as a vegetable. It is an unusual ingredient that we feel should be explored and consumed way more often than it is. With a subtle, almost nutty taste, it is an exciting addition to vegetarian menus. We love the fresh ackee available in markets in Jamaica, but canned or frozen ackee is a fine substitute if you can’t get it fresh.

Ingredients

4–6 servings

Island Guacamole:

3 medium avocados, peeled, pitted, and sliced

1 to 2 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced

3 tablespoons diced red onion

1/2 cup diced pineapple or mango

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 tablespoon orange juice

1 teaspoon orange zest

1 teaspoon minced Scotch bonnet pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 to 4 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Ackee Filling:

2 to 3 tablespoons coconut oil or other vegetable oil

1 small yellow onion, diced

1 plum tomato, diced

2 cloves garlic, diced

4 tablespoons diced bell pepper

1/4 teaspoon seeded and minced Scotch bonnet pepper

1 stalk scallion

2 dozen frozen ackee or 2 cans ackee, drained (or 2 cups ackee, cooked from fresh)

1 teaspoon thyme leaves

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

Salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

For assembly:

12 taco shells (either soft or crunchy)

2/3 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

1 cup shredded lettuce or purple cabbage

1 large handful chopped fresh cilantro

Salsa (optional)

Sour cream (optional)

Preparation

Make the guacamole:
Step 1
Dice or mash the avocado depending on your preference; it can have a more salsa-like texture if preferred. Add the remaining guacamole ingredients, gently stirring to combine. Refrigerate until you are ready to assemble the tacos.
Make the ackee filling:
Step 2
Heat the oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, tomato, garlic, bell pepper, Scotch bonnet pepper, and scallion, and cook until the ingredients are soft, about 3 minutes. Add the ackee, thyme, chili powder, salt, and pepper, gently folding the ingredients together. Cook for 5 to 8 minutes or until the mixture is heated through; remove from heat.
Step 3
Serve assembly-line style, with the ackee mixture, guacamole, grated cheese, shredded lettuce or cabbage, cilantro, salsa, and sour cream (if using) in colorful bowls next to a basket of soft or hard taco shells. Alternately, serve a large platter of already assembled tacos: fill each shell with a few tablespoons of ackee, layer with lettuce, guacamole, and cheese, and top with a mound of fresh cilantro for a mouthful of exotic flavor. Serve with salsa and/or sour cream if you wish.

Cover of the cookbook featuring bowls and plates filled with various fruits and vegetables on a lace tablecloth.

From Provisions: The Roots of Caribbean Cooking. Copyright © 2019 by Michelle Rousseau and Suzanne Rousseau. Reprinted with permission by Da Capo Press, an imprint of Hachette Book Group. Buy the full book from Amazon.