Dangerous fruit

I think these things look like crabs eyestalks, but they are really a fruit called ackee. Ackee comes from the Caribbean and Annie and Martin developed a taste for them when they went to Jamaica a few years ago. The fruit is contained in a big red pod that hangs from the bough of the ackee tree, and when it's ripe it splits open. The yellowy-white flesh is the part you eat, and it has a flavour and texture remarkably like scrambled egg. (I've loved scrambled egg ever since I was a kitten, so I'm a natural ackee fan.)

The curious thing about the ackee is that when it's under-ripe, it is very poisonous, even potentially lethal. Apparently if it's over-ripe it can be a bit dodgy too, so there is a short window of opportunity for you to enjoy it.

When they returned from Jamaica, a big and rather daft man called Russian (his name is a long story) gave M and A a big bag of fresh ackees and they managed to get them home without squashing them. But normally they have to make do with the tinned ones by the Dunn's River brand. Last night M cooked Saltfish and Ackee, Jamaica's national dish.

To make enough for two, you need about 200 grammes of cooked, flaked salt cod fillet, a small tin of ackees (about the same drained weight as the fish, or more if you like), three roughly chopped spring onions, a chopped tomato or two (depending on their size), a couple of Scotch Bonnet peppers (they're the same as Habanero chillies) and some thyme leaves stripped from their stems (about a tablespoonful). Fry the fish and the onions in oil in a frying pan, add the tomato, chillies and thyme and cook for a couple of minutes, until hot. Add the ackees, taking care not to break up the flesh too much, turn the heat down, put a lid on the pan and warm through for about two minutes. Adjust the seasoning, bearing in mind that the fish is salty. Serve with rice and peas or, if you can get it, breadfruit.