Black-eyed pea fritters, the peas soaked and ground raw with garlic, onion and scotch bonnet, then dropped into hot oil. A Cuban street snack that Key West adopted and very nearly lost.

Bollos, or bollitos, came to Key West with the Cuban cigar-working community and were once cried through the streets from carts, the way they had been in Havana. Keys Weekly calls the bollo the most original Key West food. They are not a cooked-bean fritter: the peas are soaked and then ground raw, so the texture is light and slightly grainy rather than mashed. The vendors have gone and only a handful of counters still make them, 5 Brothers Grocery among them. Chef Norman Van Aken published a Key West version in My Key West Kitchen, which is the recipe most home cooks work from.

Where to eat Bollos in Key West

1 editor pick for Bollos in Key West, ranked by editorial score. All Key West signature dishes · Bollos across every city.

Book food experiences in Key West

Key West: Old Town Food Tour with 5+ Tastings★ 5.0 (27)
This neighbourhood

Guided tour · 3.5 hours

Key West: Old Town Food Tour with 5+ Tastings

Explore Old Town Key West beyond Duval Street. Taste local favorites like conch fritters, Cuban bites, iced coffee, and Key lime pie, plus a delicious secret dish.

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More places near 5 Brothers Grocery & Sandwich Shop

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Make it at home

Serves 68 hrMedium

Ingredients

  • 340g dried black-eyed peas
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 1 small sweet onion, roughly chopped
  • 1 scotch bonnet or habanero, deseeded
  • 2 tsp salt
  • Neutral oil for deep frying
  • Hot sauce, to serve

Method

  1. Soak the peas in cold water overnight, at least 8 hours. They should swell but stay raw.
  2. Drain, then rub the peas between your palms in a bowl of fresh water to loosen the skins. Skim off the skins that float.
  3. Put the drained peas into a food processor with the garlic, onion, chilli and salt and blitz to a thick, slightly grainy paste. Add a splash of water only if it will not move.
  4. Beat the paste hard with a spoon for a minute to aerate it.
  5. Heat the oil to 180C and drop in heaped teaspoons of the mixture.
  6. Fry 3 to 4 minutes, turning, until deep gold and hollow-sounding. Drain and serve very hot with hot sauce.

Editor tip. Never cook the peas first. Soaked-raw is the whole point, and boiled peas turn the fritters dense and pasty.