Here's a secret - I LOVE dried shrimp.
And dried anchovies.
Can't get enough of the stuff!
Which is precisely why, Acarajé (pronounced aakaa-raajay), a specialty from the Northeastern state of Bahia in Brazil, and a popular street food is precisely my kind of grub.
Black-eyed peas, seasoned with dried shrimp, onions & garlic are shaped into fritters and deep fried in azeite de dende - red palm oil, then split and filled with various fillings, such as vatapa (a shrimp stew) or a spicy dried shrimp and onion mixture. I have opted for the latter in today's version.
It is also considered a classic example of Afro-Brazilian cuisine and it was bought into Brazil by African slaves. Traditionally,the method for preparing the fritters was quite labor intensive as it involved, soaking the black eyed peas overnight, rubbing off the skins.
Using canned black eyed peas is a far easier though not as authentic option. I have also had to fry my fritters in vegetable oil instead of azeite de dende (purists feel free to cringe) for the simple reason that the oil is a rare commodity and hard to find here in the U.S. I have had to depend on the generosity of my Brazilian friends and amazon.com in a pinch to keep my stock up. But by all means, if you have a free flow of azeite de dende then that is most definitely the way to go.
What's lovely about these bite sized appetizers is that the black eyed peas give the fritters a sweet, mild flavor while the spicy dried shrimp and onions mixture a spicy-smoky flavor that works so very well together.
Also, each cooked fritter is traditionally split and then filled with the shrimp - onion mixture but I find it much easier to line a platter with the fritters and mound each with the topping or pass the topping around in a bowl.
I do however think that using fresh shrimp instead of the dried will take away fromthis dish so if I were you, I'd stick with the dried shrimp.
Gather the ingredients,2 qty 15 oz cans black eyed peas, 1 small or ½ medium yellow onion, ¼ cup dried shrimp, 4-5 garlic cloves or 1 tbs finely chopped garlic, ¾ tsp cayenne pepper, 1-1/2 tsp salt & 2 tbs all purpose flour
Topping: 2 medium yellow onions, ½ cup dried shrimp, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp cayenne pepper, 3 tbs azeite de dende (red palm oil)
Also required is additional azeite de dende or vegetable oil for frying & ½ cup all purpose flour for coating (more if needed)
Prepare the ingredients,
Prawns – Soak the prawns separately in plenty of water for at least 30 minutes.
Black eyed peas – Drain the peas and set aside.
Onions for the fritters – Peel, discard skin and cut the ends. Roughly dice and set aside.
Garlic - Peel and roughly chop and set aside.
Onion for the topping: Peel, discard skin and ends. Thinly slice into semi-circles and set aside.
Bring a sauté pan and heat the red palm oil (azeite de dende) and on medium-high for a few seconds until hot. Add the sliced onions and the prawns meant for the topping. Stir to combine. Add the salt and the cayenne pepper.
Lower the heat to medium-low and slow sauté the onions until limp and translucent for about 20 minutes or so. Once ready, the onions will loose their raw taste and oil will simmer around the edges. Set aside.
Fritters:
To a food processor, add
the drained black eyed peas, onions, garlic, prawns meant for the fritters,
salt and cayenne pepper. Process to a fine paste – stir once or twice as needed
so the mixture is uniform. Add the all-purpose flour and combine so the mixture
is stable enough to form into ¾” thick balls or ovals.
Double line a platter with kitchen paper towel. Remove the all-purpose flour to a bowl.
In a non-stick sauté pan, heat oil (azeite de dende or vegetable oil) to ½ inch depth. Heat until hot.
Using a ¼ cup measure, scoop out and form the mixture into ¾” thick balls or ovals. Roll the fritters into the all purpose flour and set aside on a platter ready for frying.
Drop the fritters into the hot oil 2-3 at a time, not over-crowding the pan. Fry for 2-3 minutes on each side turning over with a slotted spoon until each side is a rich golden brown.
Traditionally each aracaje is halved and filled with the topping. For ease, I prefer to place the aracaje on a platter, mound each with some of the topping and serve immediately.
Recipe for
Aracaje - Black eyed pea fritters with onion and shrimp topping
Preparation time - 20 minutes/ Cooking time - 20 minutes
Serves 4-6
Shopping list
Fritters:
2 qty 15 oz cans black eyed peas
1 small or ½ medium yellow onion
¼ cup dried shrimp
4-5 garlic cloves or 1 tbs finely chopped garlic
¾ tsp cayenne pepper
1-1/2 tsp salt
2 tbs all purpose flour
Topping:
2 medium yellow onions
½ cup dried shrimp
1 tsp salt
½ tsp cayenne pepper
3 tbs azeite de dende (red palm oil)
Additional azeite de dende or vegetable oil for frying
½ cup all purpose flour for coating (more if needed)
Preparation:
Prawns – Soak the prawns separately in plenty of water for at least 30 minutes.
Black eyed peas – Drain the peas and set aside.
Onions for the fritters – Peel, discard skin and cut the ends. Roughly dice and set aside.
Garlic - Peel and roughly chop and set aside.
Onion for the topping: Peel, discard skin and ends. Thinly slice into semi-circles and set aside.
Method:
Once the prawns have finished soaking, drain away all the excess water in a sieve and squeeze to remove any excess water. Set aside separately.
Topping:
Bring a sauté pan and heat the red palm oil (azeite de dende) and on medium-high for a few seconds until hot. Add the sliced onions and the prawns meant for the topping. Stir to combine. Add the salt and the cayenne pepper.
Lower the heat to medium-low and slow sauté the onions until limp and translucent for about 20 minutes or so. Once ready, the onions will loose their raw taste and oil will simmer around the edges. Set aside.
Fritters:
To a food processor, add the drained black eyed peas, onions, garlic, prawns meant for the fritters, salt and cayenne pepper. Process to a fine paste – stir once or twice as needed so the mixture is uniform. Add the all-purpose flour and combine so the mixture is stable enough to form into ¾” thick balls or ovals.
Double line a platter with kitchen paper towel. Remove the all-purpose flour to a bowl.
In a non-stick sauté pan, heat oil to ½ inch depth. Heat until hot.
Using a ¼ cup measure, scoop out and form the mixture into ¾” thick balls or ovals. Roll the fritters into the all purpose flour and set aside on a platter ready for frying.
Drop the fritters into the hot oil 2-3 at a time, not over-crowding the pan. Fry for 2-3 minutes on each side turning over with a slotted spoon until each side is a rich golden brown.
Traditionally each aracaje is halved and filled with the topping. For ease, I prefer to place the aracaje on a platter, mound each with some of the topping and serve immediately.
Enjoy!
