Ackee and saltfish is a traditional Jamaican dish that is considered the national dish of Jamaica. It is typically prepared with ackee, a fruit with thick red skin that is native to West Africa, and salted codfish. The ackee fruit is the national fruit of Jamaica and was brought to the Caribbean from Ghana before 1725. Salted codfish was introduced to Jamaica as a long-lasting and inexpensive protein source for enslaved people.

To prepare ackee and saltfish, the salt codfish is soaked and boiled in several changes of fresh water to leech salt from the fish and make it palatable. The ackee is added right at the end of cooking and just before serving to avoid overcooking it. The dish is often seasoned with onion, escallion, thyme, and garlic. It can be eaten with rice and peas or plain white rice, and is often served with fried dumplings, fried or roasted breadfruit, hard food, or any rice dish.

It is important to note that fresh ackee can potentially be poisonous if incorrectly prepared, but it is perfectly safe to eat if harvested and prepared correctly. The skin must be naturally open before picking, and the pegs, once extracted from the pod, are thoroughly cleaned by removing the seed and the red membrane that is embedded in the flesh of the peg; the fruit is then boiled in salted water.