In Memory Of Karen Nicole Smith, 1972 - 2016

Festive Saltfish Buljol Recipe.


trinidad saltfish buljol (11)

This being the holiday season I thought I’d take a classic recipe for making saltfish buljol and put a little festive spin on it, to serve at your holiday party or to take with you as you visit family this holiday season. We’ll follow the same basic rules of making traditional saltfish buljol (basically a fish salad)  and add a few other ingredients to help balance and brighten up the overall flavors of this classic dish. You’ll notice that I did post this under the gluten free recipe section, but do keep in mind that you’ll need a gluten free bread or cracker to serve these on, to meet with your complete gluten free dietary needs.

You’ll Need…

2 cups prepared salted fish (cod / shredded)
2 scallions (green part only)
1 cup diced mango
1 cup diced cucumber
1/2 cup diced tomato (seeded)
1/3 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 lemon (juice)
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 sprig thyme (chopped)
2 birds eye pepper (bird pepper) seeded and diced

 

trinidad saltfish buljol (1)

 

The first step is to prepare the salted cod – place in a deep pot with cold water, bring to a boil, reduce and simmer for about 20 minutes (you can watch this video : How To Prepare Salted Fish For Use. Then drain, rinse with cool water and flake/shred. This process removes the majority of the salt (or it will be too salty) and rehydrates the fish. I would recommend using deboned salted fish as it makes for less work. But do remember to still be on the lookout for tiny bones as you flake the fish after boiling. Tip – after preparing the saltish, you can add it to a food processor and give it a couple pulses to get a lovely shredded texture.

trinidad saltfish buljol (5)

trinidad saltfish buljol (6)

trinidad saltfish buljol (7)

trinidad saltfish buljol (8)

Basically all you have to do now is dice the mango, tomato (please remove the seeds), scallion and cucumber. If you want to add more pizzazz to the dish you can also add some chopped grapes or pineapple.. or basically any firm fruit you like.

trinidad saltfish buljol (2)

trinidad saltfish buljol (3)

trinidad saltfish buljol (4)

It’s all about assembling now. In a large blow place all the ingredients and gently fold together so you keep the shape of the mango and any tender fruit you use. I would then allow this to marinate for about 30 minutes, then top on your favourite cracker or bread.. in my case I used slices of French Baguettes. Another great idea would be to use lettuce leaves as wrappers and scoop some of the buljol in the middle and wrap them like spring rolls.

trinidad saltfish buljol (9)

trinidad saltfish buljol (10)

 

You’ll notice that we didn’t add any salt to this dish as the remaining salt from the salted cod (or whatever salted fish you use) will be enough to season this dish. Be carefully when handling the hot pepper and be sure to wash your hands with soap and water immediately after. I would not recommend assembling these (on the bread etc) until you’re about to serve it as the bread or cracker will go a bit soggy after about 30 minutes.

 

 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Summary
recipe image
Recipe Name
Festive Saltfish Buljol Recipe.
Published On
Preparation Time
Cook Time
Total Time
Average Rating
3.51star1star1star1stargray Based on 33 Review(s)
Share:

6 Comments

  1. May 23, 2015 / 6:13 am

    This is exactly as I make mine.I have noticed when visiting Tobago y make ‘Stew Saltfish and call it buljol.

  2. Anne Wade UK
    May 23, 2015 / 6:11 am

    This is exactly as I make mine. There is no need to cook the tomatoes and onions.

  3. April 25, 2015 / 5:01 am

    we always soak our bacalhau overnight in cold water,,then just simmer or poached ,,its then hand shredded,,,a small amount of olive oil is mixed with the tomatoes,raw finely chopped raw onions and garlic are mixed in with the slices tomatoes and zaboka, sprinkled with black pepper….and served with hops bread,,,,,,thus a buljol to die for…thanks from Querino de Freitas

  4. Dee
    February 1, 2015 / 5:18 pm

    Beautiful recipes.

  5. Anestine Holder
    December 29, 2014 / 8:40 am

    LLLooks simply delicious. I am going to try this recipe very soon as saltfish is my very favourite food. Thanks for this new twist to the traditional buljol.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *