Feroce d'Avocat
Also: Féroce, Féroce d'avocat et de morue, Avocado and saltfish mash
An Antillean snack of mashed avocado blended with shredded salt cod, cassava flour, and fiery hot pepper.
Identity criteria
- 1Mashed ripe avocado as the creamy base
- 2Flaked salt cod (morue) folded through
- 3Cassava flour (farine de manioc) for body and to bind
- 4Fiery Scotch bonnet / habanero heat — the 'féroce' (ferocious) name
- 5Lime to season and brighten; served cold as a snack or starter
Components
Ripe avocadoessentialCreamy foundation of the dish.
Salt cod (morue)essentialSoaked, cooked, and flaked; the savory backbone.
Garlic, shallot, chivesoptionalCommon aromatics.
Lime juiceessentialBrightens and seasons.
Cassava flour (farine de manioc)essentialGives body and the characteristic texture.
Scotch bonnet / habanero pepperessentialThe fierce heat that names the dish.
Technique
- Desalting and flaking salt cod
- Removes excess salt and produces the savory shreds folded into the mash.
- Mashing and binding with cassava flour
- Combines avocado, cod, and flour into the signature dense, scoopable texture.
Form & serving
- Served
- Cold, scooped or shaped, as a snack or starter
- Temperature
- cold
- Portion
- shared
- Pairs with
- crackers · bread · rum punch · ti-punch
Character
Flavour
Texture
dense, creamy, slightly grainy mash
Eaten
A beloved Antillean apéritif and snack, served cold with crackers or bread and a rum punch, common at gatherings across the French Caribbean.
When
year-round
Variations & related
Regional variations
- Martinican féroce · Martinique
Classic French-Antillean preparation.
- Guadeloupean féroce · Guadeloupe
Similar with local seasoning preferences.
- Saint Lucian féroce · Saint Lucia
Shared Creole version in the wider Antilles.
Related dishes
- sibling Accras de morue
Another Antillean salt-cod appetizer.
- pairs-with Ti-punch
Classic Antillean rum aperitif served alongside.
Substitutions
Salt cod → Smoked herringadmissible
Used in some households for a smokier take.
Scotch bonnet → Habaneroadmissible
Comparable Caribbean heat.
Cassava flour → Wheat flour or breadcrumbsinadmissible
Loses the authentic manioc texture and Creole identity.
Common mistakes
- Not desalting the cod enough, leaving it overpoweringly salty
- Omitting the fierce pepper that gives the dish its name
- Skipping cassava flour so the texture is loose
- Using underripe avocado that won't mash creamy
Provenance
A Creole dish of the French Antilles, shared across Martinique, Guadeloupe, and into Saint Lucia, named for its 'ferocious' chili heat.
Shared by: Saint Lucia, Martinique, Guadeloupe
References
- 1.French Antillean Creole cuisine
- 2.Caribbean cookery
Confidence: high