Sautéed Salt Fish

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Sautéed Salt [Salted] Fish is a staple through out the Caribbean. Drying fish was a method used in perserving fish. It gives the fish a distinct texture. To learn more about salt fish check out this article by the Spruce. When I was a little girl, salt fish was always filled with many bones. Bones that had to be picked out after boiling and before sautéeing. It was quite a task and often one given to the children. I loved eating salt fish but HATED having to pick bones from the fish before my mom could cook it. Today you can buy boneless skinless salt fish filets! And I’ve never been happier.

Preparing the Salt Fish for Sautéeing

As the name suggests salt fish is very salty. To remove some of the salt and help to reconstitute the fish many people steep the fish in hot water and leave it to soak over night. Then the next day, they drain the water, add fresh water and then bring the water to a boil. Once the water had been boiling of about 10 minutes, drain off the water and repeat this process until most of the salt is removed from the fish. Once I get through this process I run the fish under cold water to cook it down then use my fingers to break the flesh into small pieces. If the salt fish is not a boneless/skinless filet I spend some time removing the bones, before flaking.

Preparing the veggies for the Sautéed Saltfish

This sautéed salt fish dish is very flexible. You can use any combination of vegetables you like. For this recipe I used green onions, mini bell pepper, lots of tomatoes, garlic, thyme and some fresh parley along with salt and pepper. You can use onions and even cilantro.

Bring the Sautéed Salt Fish together

After I’ve sautéed the veggies I toss in the prepared salt fish, then continue to sauté to bring the flavors together and the sautéed salt fish is ready for your favorite side dish. Salt fish is traditionally paired with bakes, but it is also great for adding to vegetables or eating along with dhal and rice.

The Sautéed Saltfish Video Tutorial

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The Printable Sautèed Salt Fish Recipe

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Sautéed Salt Fish

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Salt fish cooked with veggies and hebs

Author: Althea Brown

Recipe type: Whole30, Paleo, Keto

Cuisine: Caribbean

Ingredients

1 lb salted cod or other salted fish
About 8 cups water for boiling
2 large tomatoes, diced
1 cup of baby bell peppers, thinly sliced
5 heads of green onions, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, grated
1 tablespoons dried thyme
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon of freshly chopped parsley
2-4 tablespoons of oil

Instructions

Boiling the Salt Fish

Add salt fish and 4 cups of water to a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil for 10 to 15 minutes
You may need to reduce the heat as the salt fish sometimes boils over and causes quite a mess! After fish has boiled for 15 minutes, drain water, then add an additional 4 cups of water, bring to a boil and boil for another 15 minutes.
Once the fish has boiled for another 15 minutes, remove from water and let cool
When fish cools, flake with a fork or your fingers until all the flesh is completely flaky

Sautéeing the Salt Fish:

Add 3 tablespoons of oil to a large sauté pan on medium heat
When oil is hot, add tomatoes, ⅔ green onions, bell peppers and garlic. Cook until tomatoes are soft, then add the salt fish that was prepared earlier, thyme and cayenne pepper
Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure even cooking. Once the fish has cooked for 15 minutes, remove from the heat and add the remaining green onions.

Notes

I don't add any additional salt to the fish because even after boiling it is still quite salty.

Saltfish is traditionally served with bakes as a breakfast item. Here I’ve paired mine with Gluten Free Bakes!