Country living. That’s what my dear grandfather keeps repeating as I maneuver my way through my grandparent’s cottage in Jamaica. A subtle reminder that this city girl has to make minor/major adjustments to the simplicity and life innovation that the country brings. The kitchen is quaint, the dishes are charmingly mismatched and the gas stove requires a match to light. The bathroom has a running shower with a switch for heated water. Air conditioning is known as fresh air that flows through open shutters and doorways and cools my dampened skin. The sun seems to rise earlier than what I’m accustomed to reminding me that breakfast is begging to be prepared.
Salt fish also known as salted cod or bacalao, is a popular dried fish that is prepared by salting the fresh fish and setting it out to dry. It’s commonly used in Latin, Caribbean and African cooking. I grew up eating ackee and saltfish for breakfast. Admittedly, I didn’t have it as often as I would have liked because fresh ackee wasn’t readily available in Atlanta. Being spoiled and having no interest in food other than eating it as a child, I never took the time to learn.
So here I am in the country side of Jamaica, staring at salt fish as if for the first time in thirty years. My grandparents have different ideas of whether to boil it first or soak it, eitherways, both are necessary to get rid of the heavy salt preservative. While they sort it out, I resort to chopping tomatoes, dicing onion and garlic and picking fresh thyme. My grandmother shows me how to break up the fish and pick out the bones. For the first time I manage to light the stove with a simple match and feel somewhat accomplished.
An actual slice of wood serves as the cutting board! How cool is that?
I heat oilive oil and add onion. The aroma is enough to fill my belly but my tastebuds know better and eagerly await the finished product. Next I add the garlic and then the tomatoes, crushing them more so their liquid releases and helps soften my fish. Last I add the fish, fresh thyme and a little water. I have no idea what the order of things should be, because my grandparents have left me to work it out myself.
So like with most things, I let intuition, the spirit of my tastebuds and the wisdom of the ancestral kitchen in which I cook, guide my hand so that it can taste good.
There was boiled green banana left over so I added them to the pan to heat. Filled with pride and having met a satiation that only DIYers are certain to know, I dished out half and saved the rest for later. Breakfast was served.
Recipe: Jamaican Saltfish
Summary: A delicious Caribbean breakfast stapled that can be eaten with ackee, bread, bakes, green banana and yam.
Ingredients
- 8 oz saltfish, soaked overnight
- 1 tomato, diced
- ½ small onion, diced
- 1 garlic clove
- 2-3 sprigs of thyme
- olive oil
Instructions
- Boil saltfish, until fish flakes easily, drain water
- Break up saltfish, discard skin and bones
- Heat oil in pan and sautee onion and garlic over medium heat until slightly translucent and fragrant
- Add tomatoes and sautee (~1 min)
- Lower heat and add saltfish pieces with thyme. May add a little water or ketchup if mixture is too dry.
- Heat through and serve.
Preparation time: 10 minute(s)
Cooking time: 40 minute(s)
Diet type: Pescatarian
Number of servings (yield): 4
Culinary tradition: Jamaican
Recipe by Eat Consciously. Relate Honestly. Love Abundantly.
Microformatting by hRecipe.
*Blogged May 27, 2011
Shelley, The Food Relationship Coach™
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I loved this piece, it made me homesick for the Jamaican countryside!
Lol! I know, in it’s simplicity lies a vast complexity that can only be appreciated through experience. I’m glad I got to spend some time there, sorting out life without the musings of technology.
OMG—Shelley! How about I just bought salted fish and two cans of ackee from the DeKalb Farmer’s Market and was planning on cooking this for dinner tonight?! I made a mental note to troll the internet for a recipe, and I check my inbox and here you are, shining a light and leading the way! THANK YOU for the recipe. I don’t know if I’ll do it any justice—this is my second time cooking it (the first time I didn’t get nearly enough of the salt out so it was, well… yeah), but hopefully it’ll be better this time around. You’re the best!
Word! Well that’s just perfect
The ackee shouldn’t take as much time as the saltfish, just be sure to take time with it because it can break up very easily. Enjoy girl!
Got it!
Question: I’m soaking it in water (I put it in the pot at about 11:30); I’ll be cooking sometime around 5:30 p.m. Is that long enough to get the salt out? Will more come out if I boil it before I start the cooking process? HELP!
Mmmmhmmmmmm cookup saltfish… if it wasnt so darn hot today I’d make some!
To Denene – I would recommend boiling it to get out more salt. I guess people may differ on the technique (like Shelley’s grandparents) but if I soak, its an overnight kinda process (like 8-10 hours or so). Boiling seems to help the process go quicker. So around the time you are ready to cook give it a boil, wash it off and boil it again (maybe 10 mins, depending on how much fish you working with). Hope that helps and bon apetit!
Thanks for the tips hun! I tend to do both now, overkill maybe, but I like to be sure lol
Great post, great writing, Mek me hungry!
Yep, what Lotusofwadi said!