Acarajé

Acarajé da Bahia

The iconic street food of Salvador, Bahia: crisp black-eyed pea fritters fried in dendê palm oil and split open to be stuffed with spicy vatapá, dried shrimp and a fresh salad. Traditionally made and sold by Baianas in their white lace dresses.

Prep

60 min

Cook

30 min

Total

90 min

Serves

8 fritters (serves 4 as a snack)

Difficulty

Hard

Recipe ingredients

• •500 g (1 lb 2 oz) dried black-eyed peas, must be dried and peeled; do not substitute canned
• •1 large onion, roughly chopped
• •1 tsp fine sea salt
• •500 ml (2 cups) dendê (palm) oil, for deep-frying; do not substitute - this is the soul of the dish
• •100 g (3½ oz) dried shrimp (camarão seco), heads and shells on, lightly toasted then ground
• •300 g (10½ oz) vatapá, prepared (see companion recipe or ready-made); kept warm
• •1 small tomato, deseeded and diced
• •red onion, ½, finely sliced into rings
• •1 bunch fresh cilantro, leaves only, roughly chopped
• •1 bunch fresh parsley, leaves only, roughly chopped
• •1 to taste maldinha or other dried chillies, ground, for the salad

Steps

1. 1 Pick over the dried black-eyed peas, discarding any discoloured ones. Cover with plenty of cold water and soak for 8 hours or overnight. Drain.
2. 2 To peel: place a small handful of soaked peas on a flat surface and rub firmly with the palm of your hand; the skins will split off. Discard the skins and repeat. This is laborious but essential - it is what gives acarajé its airy interior. Work in batches until all peas are peeled. Rinse the peeled peas well.
3. 3 Transfer the peeled peas to a blender with the chopped onion and salt. Blend in batches, adding just enough cold water (about 60-80 ml / ¼ cup per batch) to allow the blades to catch, until you have a thick, smooth, fluffy batter with the consistency of soft whipped cream. Do not over-blend or it will become gummy.
4. 4 Transfer the batter to a bowl. Using a wooden spoon or your hand, beat the batter briskly in a circular motion for 2-3 minutes to whip air into it. Cover and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes (this resting and the air beaten in are what cause the fritter to puff open when fried).
5. 5 While the batter rests, prepare the dried shrimp: toast the whole dried shrimp in a dry skillet over medium heat for 2-3 minutes until fragrant. Let cool, then grind to a coarse powder in a mortar or spice grinder. Set aside.
6. 6 In a deep, heavy pot, heat the dendê oil to 180 °C / 350 °F (use a thermometer - the oil must be hot enough or the fritters will absorb oil and turn soggy).
7. 7 Wet your hands with salted water (to prevent sticking). Take a generous spoonful of batter (about 80 g / ⅓ cup) and shape it into a flattened disc roughly 8 cm / 3 in across. Hold your hand over the hot oil and gently slide the disc in. Fry 2-3 fritters at a time without crowding.
8. 8 Fry for 3-4 minutes, spooning hot oil over the top of each fritter. The bottom should be deep golden-brown and crisp. Carefully flip and fry 2-3 minutes more. The fritter should puff up and split open slightly - this split is traditional and how you will stuff it. Internal temperature should reach at least 95 °C / 200 °F.
9. 9 Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Keep warm in a low oven while you fry the rest.
10. 10 To assemble: slice each warm acarajé open along the natural split, like a pita. Spoon in 1-2 tablespoons of warm vatapá, then a generous teaspoon of the ground dried shrimp, then top with the tomato, onion rings, cilantro and parsley. Finish with a pinch of ground dried chilli and serve immediately.