Black Eye Pea Fritters with Spicy Tomato Sauce
Black-eyed peas are a staple ingredient in West African cuisine and has not lost its roots in Southern Cooking, this recipe is a homage to the accara (black eye pea fritters) with my New Orleans twist. I also decided to make a spicy tomato sauce which is called kanni. I decided to use scotch bonnets for their sweet heat that I know would pair well with the acidic tomatoes. I also added lime juice to help tame the heat level.
tips for success:
You can use canned black eye peas, lately in grocery stores, I’ve pre-soaked black eye peas, that are fresh and ready for cooking, I used them for this recipe. If you’re a fan of heat but not scotch bonnet levels, you can use a jalapeno. If you cannot find fresh scotch bonnets, you can usually find some scotch bonnet pepper sauce from ethic grocery stores. When you place the fritters in the frying oil, scoop the fritter out in the oil, do not drop them in the hot oil; you can cause serious injury. Reheat fritters in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes.
recipe video:
recipe:
Black-Eyed Pea Fritters with Spicy Tomato Sauce
Equipment
- Chef knife
- Cutting board
- Liquid measuring cup
- Medium bowl
- Dry measuring spoons
- 4 quart pot
Ingredients
Black Eye Pea Fritters:
- 24 oz. pre-soaked black eye peas
- 6 cups water
- 1 small onion chopped small
- 1 bell pepper chopped small
- 2 celery stalk chopped small
- 4 garlic cloves chopped small
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 1 teaspoon cayenne
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme leaves only
- 1 cup grape seed oil
- grape seed oil for frying
Spicy Tomato Sauce:
- 4 tablespoons grape seed oil
- 28 oz. whole peeled tomatoes
- 4 garlic cloves chopped fine
- 1 scotch bonnet pepper chopped fine
- juice of 1 lime
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ bunch cilantro chopped small
Instructions
- In a large bowl add the black eye peas and water. Rub the black eye peas in between your hands to release any loose shells, shells will rise to the top, with a slotted spoon remove shells and drain black eye peas.
- Add the black eye peas, onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic, kosher salt, black pepper, cayenne, cumin, and thyme leaves to a food processor, blitz on high for 1 minute. While the food processor is running slowly drizzle in 1 cup of grape seed oil. Taste and adjust seasoning. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
- While fritters are in the refrigerator, turn on the heat to medium high in a 4-quart sauce pot add grape seed oil, squeeze whole tomatoes with hands and add to the pot, cook for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and scotch bonnet, stir a few times, add the lime juice, kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add to a food blender and pulse 3-5 times, until sauce is smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning and stir in cilantro.
- Preheat oven, turn on the heat to medium-high in a large skillet add the grape seed oil and bring to 375 degrees, remove fritter batter from the refrigerator. Using a cookie scoop or tablespoon, scoop fritters into oil and fry for 3 minutes, 1 minute and 30 seconds, each side or until golden brown. Transfer fritters to a paper towel lined baking sheet and keep warm in oven until finished frying remaining fritters.
- Serve black eye pea fritters on a platter with spicy tomato sauce on the side.
