Textual Chef Textual Chef

Saltfish and Bake

A beloved Caribbean breakfast of flaky, savory salt cod sauteed with tomatoes, onion, and peppers, served alongside golden fried dough bakes. Plan ahead: soak the saltfish overnight to remove excess salt.

70 minMediumServes 4520 cal/serving

CaribbeanBreakfastStovetopPescatarianHigh FiberHalal-friendlyDairy-FreeNut-FreeLow-SodiumPork-FreeAlcohol-Free

Ingredients

  • 1 lb dried salt cod (boneless or bone-in), soaked overnight
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup warm water
  • 2 cups vegetable oil
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
  • 1/2 scotch bonnet pepper (or 1 tsp hot sauce), seeded, minced
  • 4 scallions, sliced
  • 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper

Instructions

  1. 1

    Drain the soaked 1 lb soaked overnight dried salt cod (boneless or bone-in) and place it in a saucepan. Cover with fresh cold water and bring to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes, then drain. Taste; if still very salty, boil once more in fresh water for 5 more minutes. Drain, let cool slightly, then flake the fish into pieces, removing any bones.

  2. 2

    Make the bake dough: in a bowl, whisk together 2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt, and 2 tsp granulated sugar. Add 3/4 cup warm water gradually and mix until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms. Knead briefly for 1 minute. Divide into 8 equal balls and flatten each into a round about 1/2 inch thick. Rest 10 minutes.

  3. 3

    Heat 2 cups vegetable oil in a deep skillet or saucepan over medium heat to 350°F (175°C). Fry the dough rounds in batches, 2 to 3 minutes per side, until puffed and golden brown. Drain on paper towels and keep warm.

  4. 4

    In a large skillet, heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil over medium heat. Add 1 diced yellow onion and saute until softened, about 3 minutes. Add 2 minced garlic cloves and 1/2 seeded, minced scotch bonnet pepper (or 1 tsp hot sauce) and cook 1 more minute.

  5. 5

    Add 2 diced Roma tomatoes and 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves. Cook, stirring, until the tomatoes break down, about 4 minutes.

  6. 6

    Add the flaked dried salt cod (boneless or bone-in) and 4 sliced scallions. Stir gently to combine and heat through, about 3 minutes. Season with 1/2 tsp black pepper. Taste before adding any extra salt, as the fish retains saltiness.

  7. 7

    Serve the saltfish alongside the warm bakes. Split the bakes open and fill or top with the saltfish mixture.

Questions

Can I make Saltfish and Bake gluten-free?

Yes. The gluten in this entry is 2 cups all-purpose flour. Swap the flour for a 1-to-1 gluten-free baking blend (where it only thickens a sauce, half as much cornstarch also works). Everything else proceeds as written.

How long does Saltfish and Bake keep?

Refrigerate leftovers within two hours and eat them within two days (seafood turns fast). Reheat gently on the stovetop.

Can I halve or double Saltfish and Bake?

Yes. As written it serves 4. Every ingredient in this entry carries precomputed half and double quantities, and the app's batch dial rewrites them inside each step. When doubling on the stovetop, use your widest pan or work in two batches so the food sears instead of steaming.

Serve it with

Cook this free in the app

Textual Chef is 4,504 plain-text recipes, free to read and free to cook from. No account, no paywall, no ads, no life stories. Open this one in the app and each quantity sits inside the step that uses it, so you read once and cook.

Every recipe is curated or public-domain sourced, written to one template and checked before it publishes. Nothing here is a scraped blog post.

Cook this free in the appNo download needed. It opens in your browser. The kitchen tools (planner, shopping list, pantry, import) are $5.33 a month billed annually; the first 30 days are free.

More Caribbean entries

All Caribbean recipes · All Breakfast recipes · All Salt Cod recipes