Jamaican cook-up saltfish

 Belly Full on a Budget

When was the last time you cooked a nice pot of cook up saltfish? If you think you can’t do it, it's time to try again. It does not get any simpler than this. Not to mention it's such a cheap eat and totally delicious. $256 Jamaican dollars per serving and that includes some boiled dumplings on the side.

If you are familiar with my DinnerTyme series on Instagram stories, then you are no stranger to saltfish. It's our go-to dinner when we want something quick cheap and delicious. I would venture to say it's one of my father’s favorite dinners paired with boiled dumplings. It is the one thing we always have on hand. As soon as we used the last bit of saltfish, it's time to replenish it.

We have some rules when it comes to saltfish, the first is the seasonings; tomato, onion, and peppers, that is all. We do not do thyme, garlic, or sweet peppers because they tend to overpower the taste of the saltfish. So, we keep it pretty simple. Also, if you look at the recipe, you will notice I used a lot of oil. It is mandatory, there is nothing worse than dry trashy saltfish. And it's not just any oil, it MUST be cold-pressed virgin coconut oil. That oil has all the flavor, for me, it is not oil, it's gravy. It makes saltfish so delicious, not to mention if you decide to add some butter beans, baked beans, or ackee to the mix. I cook up my saltfish exactly as I did in the vid then add all the other items at the end.  

I remember about 8 is years ago I was so trash at making saltfish. Every time mom made it, it was bomb, and when I made it, trashy. One day while cooking it, she saw me adding water to get the gravy, she said what are you doing? No wonder your saltfish is not nice. She said do not add water at all, all you need to cook it in is oil. And since I started doing that it has been a whole new world of deliciousness. I hope you give this a try.

 

 

Serves 3

Ingredients (printable recipe)
½ lb saltfish
1 cup sliced onion.
½ cup diced tomatoes.
½ teaspoon scotch bonnet pepper
6 tablespoon cold pressed virgin coconut oil
1 ½ tablespoon ketchup
1 teaspoon brown sugar
¼ teaspoon bouillon (optional for if you over boil the saltfish and it’s too fresh)
¼ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

• Rinse the saltfish and bring to a boil, you may have to boil one or two times to remove the excess salt.
• Peel off the skin and scales and flake the saltfish, removing the bones.
• slice the onions, dice the tomatoes and slice the pepper. I prefer to keep the pepper bigger so that it's easier to take out when it's done.
• Heat the oil in a pot and sauté the onions tomatoes and peppers, once softened add ketchup, sugar, and bouillon and stir.
• add the flaked salted codfish and black pepper, reduce the flames to low, and cover.
• In 3-5 minutes it should be ready to serve with some boiled dumplings, yam, banana, or ground provisions of your choice.

Xoxo Greedygirl