Salt fish and bake

Caribbean-inspired soft, fluffy bread with savoury salt fish, creating a delightful balance of flavours. The recipe involves preparing the bread and sautéing the salt fish with vegetables and spices, taking about 2 hours including resting time. It’s a moderately complex dish but well worth the effort for its authentic taste.

By Matt Tebbutt
From Saturday Kitchen

This dish is relatively high in sodium due to the salt fish, but it also provides protein and essential nutrients from the vegetables. It is best consumed in moderation. more about nutri-score

Ingredients

For the bread

• Plain flour: 250g (9oz)
• Baking powder: 15g (½oz)
• Caster sugar: 4 tsp
• Salt: ½ tsp
• Unsalted butter: 60g (2½oz)
• Warm water: 150–180ml (5–6fl oz)

For the salt fish

• Vegetable oil: 2 tbsp
• Onion: 1, diced
• Garlic cloves: 3, minced
• Green pepper: 1, diced
• Scotch bonnet chilli: ¼, chopped
• Fresh thyme: 1 tsp, chopped
• Salt cod: 500g (1lb 2oz), soaked overnight and flaked
• Beef tomato: 1 ripe, chopped
• Smoked paprika: 1 tsp
• Spring onions: 4, chopped
• Black pepper: to taste

To serve

• Caribbean hot sauce

Method

Prepare the Bread Dough

• Add all dry ingredients to a stand mixer bowl.
• Combine using a dough hook while gradually adding butter.
• Add warm water and mix to form a dough.
• Knead on medium speed for about 5 minutes.
• Let the dough rest for 20 minutes, covered.

Bake or Fry the Bread

• Preheat oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6 or deep-fat fryer to 180C.
• Roll dough into eight balls and flatten into rounds.
• Bake for 15–20 minutes or fry for 6–9 minutes until golden brown.

Sauté the Salt Fish Filling

• Heat oil in a saucepan and add onions, garlic, pepper, chilli, and thyme.
• Sweat gently for 10 minutes until soft.
• Add salt cod, tomato, and paprika; cook for another 5 minutes.
• Add spring onions and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
• Taste and season with black pepper.

Assemble and Serve

• Stuff the salt fish inside the baked or fried bread rounds.
• Serve with Caribbean hot sauce on the side.

Nutri-score Health Check

This dish receives a Nutri-Score of D due to its high sodium content from the salt fish. While it offers protein from the fish and nutrients from vegetables, moderation is key. The bread adds carbohydrates which contribute to overall energy intake. Balancing this dish with fresh vegetables or a salad can help improve its nutritional profile.