Acaraje (Brazilian Black-Eyed Pea Fritters)

About This Recipe

Acaraje holds deep cultural and religious significance in Bahia, tied to Candomble traditions, and is traditionally sold by baianas, women in white dress who fry the fritters fresh at street stalls across Salvador. Dried black-eyed peas are peeled and ground into a smooth paste, whipped until light and airy, then deep-fried in dende (palm) oil, which gives the fritters their distinctive orange-tinted crust and unmistakable flavor. Split open while still hot, each acaraje is filled with vatapa (a spiced shrimp and bread paste) and caruru (an okra and shrimp relish), turning what starts as a simple bean fritter into a layered, deeply savory street food.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 2 cupsdried black-eyed peas(soaked overnight and peeled)
• 1onion(chopped)
• 1 tspsalt
• 2 cupsdende (palm) oil(for frying)
• 200 gdried shrimp(ground, for vatapa filling)
• 1 cupcoconut milk(for vatapa filling)
• 2bread rolls(soaked and blended, for vatapa filling)
• 1/4 cupground peanuts(for vatapa filling)
• 1 tbspchopped fresh chile(for filling, optional)

Instructions

1. 1

   Peel the black-eyed peas

   Rub the soaked peas between your hands under running water to loosen and remove the skins, discarding the skins.

2. 2

   Grind the paste

   Blend the peeled peas with onion and salt into a smooth, thick paste, using as little water as possible.

3. 3

   Whip

   Beat the paste vigorously by hand or with a mixer for several minutes until light and airy — this incorporates air that helps the fritters puff.

   Whipping the bean paste thoroughly is what gives acaraje its characteristic light, fluffy interior once fried.

4. 4

   Fry

   Heat dende oil and carefully drop spoonfuls of the whipped paste into the hot oil, frying 4-5 minutes per side until deep golden and cooked through.

5. 5

   Make the vatapa filling

   Blend dried shrimp, coconut milk, soaked bread and ground peanuts into a thick, spiced paste, cooking briefly in a pan until it thickens.

6. 6

   Assemble

   Split each hot fritter partway open and fill with a spoonful of vatapa and a bit of chopped chile if desired.

Variations

• •

  A version without the shrimp filling, simply the fried bean fritter, is sometimes called abara when steamed instead of fried.

• •

  A vegetarian filling using just vegetables and peppers can replace the traditional shrimp-based vatapa.

• •

  Some vendors add a spicy pepper sauce (molho de pimenta) as an additional topping.

Storage

Best eaten fresh and hot; the paste can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to a day before frying, but the fried fritters themselves don't keep or reheat well.

Frequently Asked Questions