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Accras de légumes
Spiced vegetable fritters from Martinique and Guadeloupe (akra)
Accras are the first thing on the table at a Sunday lunch, a christening or a Christmas réveillon in Martinique and Guadeloupe, and they are sold by the paper bag from roadside stalls and beach shacks. The best-known version is made with salt cod; this is the vegetable one, with grated carrot and courgette, spring onion, garlic, parsley and a little Scotch bonnet in a light batter. They puff up in the oil and should be crisp outside and soft inside. Serve them hot with sauce chien and lime. Chef's tip: rest the batter for half an hour; it thickens and the fritters puff up much better.
- Total time
- 70 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the vegetables
For the seasoning
For the batter
For frying and serving
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What you'll need
Fresh ingredients (7)
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Mix the grated 1 courgette with half the 1 tsp salt and leave for 10 minutes, then squeeze out as much water as you can in your hands.
10 minStep 2: Pound 2 cloves garlic and ½ Scotch bonnet chilli to a paste in a mortar. Wash your hands afterwards; Scotch bonnet is very hot.
Step 3: Whisk 7 oz plain flour, 2 tsp baking powder and the rest of the salt with 1 egg and ¾ cup cold water into a smooth, thick batter.
Step 4: Stir in the paste, 1 carrot, courgette, 4 spring onions, ⅓ oz flat-leaf parsley and 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves. Cover and rest for 30 minutes; the batter should fall from a spoon in a thick, slow ribbon.
30 minStep 5: Heat 4 ¼ cups sunflower oil in a deep pan to 350°F, or until a drop of batter sizzles and rises at once.
Step 6: Drop in heaped teaspoons of batter, 6–8 at a time, and fry for 3–4 minutes, turning, until puffed and deep golden all over. Common mistake: using big spoonfuls; the outside browns before the middle cooks, and you get raw, doughy centres.
16 minStep 7: Drain on kitchen paper and serve hot with 1 lime and sauce chien.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 230 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 28 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does accras de légumes take?
- About 70 minutes in total: 50 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of carrot?
- Parsnip or sweet potato, same weight.
- What can I use instead of courgette?
- Cucumber, same weight (raw dishes only).
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