Plate 08 of 10

Callaloo and Saltfish

Name: Callaloo and Saltfish
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Jamaica
Ingredients: 600 g Fresh callaloo, thick stalks peeled of their strings, washed, leaves and tender stems chopped fine; 250 g Bone-in, skin-on salted cod, rinsed and boiled twice to desalinate; 45 ml Coconut oil or unsalted butter; 1 medium Yellow onion, cut into thin half-moons; 4 stalks Scallions, sliced thin; 4 cloves Garlic, minced fine; ½ Scotch bonnet pepper, seeded and minced fine; 2 medium Firm plum tomatoes, cored and cut into 1 cm dice; 4 sprigs Fresh thyme, leaves stripped; 3 g Coarsely ground black pepper; 15 ml Fresh lime juice

Country breakfast. Amaranth greens with the fibrous skin stripped from the stalks, sliced into ribbons and steamed in their own moisture with flaked salt cod, tomato, scallion, thyme and Scotch bonnet, then cooked dry so nothing pools in the pan.

Prep: 25 min
Cook: 15 min
Serves: 4
Difficulty: Medium

Researched · Kitchen testing pending

A skillet of glossy dark green callaloo ribbons tossed with white flakes of salt cod, diced tomato and scallion, with no liquid pooled in the pan.

Morning in the Jamaican countryside smells of freshly chopped callaloo sizzling in coconut oil. Jamaican callaloo is amaranth, a different plant from the taro leaves Trinidad cooks under the same name. The juicy stalks are stripped of their fibrous skin before the leaves are sliced into fine ribbons.

In the skillet the greens meet desalinated flaked cod, tomato, onion, scallion, garlic, thyme and Scotch bonnet. They steam in their own moisture until tender and dark green, never watery or boiled to mush, and come to the table beside roasted breadfruit, boiled green bananas or fried dumplings.

Ingredients

Greens and fish
600 gFresh callaloo, thick stalks peeled of their strings, washed, leaves and tender stems chopped fineor amaranth greens, or Swiss chard
250 gBone-in, skin-on salted cod, rinsed and boiled twice to desalinate
Aromatics
45 mlCoconut oil or unsalted butter
1 mediumYellow onion, cut into thin half-moons
4 stalksScallions, sliced thin
4 clovesGarlic, minced fine
½Scotch bonnet pepper, seeded and minced fine
2 mediumFirm plum tomatoes, cored and cut into 1 cm dice
4 sprigsFresh thyme, leaves stripped
Finish
3 gCoarsely ground black pepper
15 mlFresh lime juice

Peel the stalks

Callaloo stalks carry tough cellulose strings along their outer ribs. Snap a stalk near the base and pull down to strip the skin away, leaving only tender stem. Skip this and you will be chewing string.

No water in the pan

The greens are more than enough water on their own. Covered, that steam breaks down the cell walls in under eight minutes and the fast cooking keeps the chlorophyll a vivid forest green instead of dull olive.

The five tastes on this plate

Salt is the saltfish, and nothing else. Fat is coconut oil or butter coating the greens. Acid is diced tomato and the finishing lime. Heat is Scotch bonnet, scallion and black pepper. Umami is cured cod against the mineral earthiness of the greens.

Equipment

12-inch heavy stainless skillet with a tight lid, or a wide enamelled sauté pan
Tongs
Saucepan, for desalinating the cod

A broad pan lets excess moisture evaporate quickly at the end so the greens do not turn soggy. The traditional pot is a cast-aluminium Dutchie over a low flame.

Method

Prepare the saltfish25 min
Boil the cod in fresh water twice, 10 minutes each time, to leach the salt. Drain, cool, remove the skin and bones, and flake into clean 2 cm pieces.
Boil cod twice for 10 minutes each, changing to fresh water between boils. Drain, cool enough to handle, remove skin and every bone, and separate into 2 cm flakes.
Strip and chop the callaloo10 min
Wash the stalks under cold running water. Hold a stalk at the base, snap it lightly, and pull downward to peel away the tough outer skin. Stack the peeled stems and leaves and slice crosswise into fine 1 cm ribbons.
Wash callaloo in cold running water. Snap stalk bases lightly and pull down to strip tough strings; stack peeled stems with leaves and cut crosswise into 1 cm ribbons.
Sweat the aromatics5 min
Heat the oil in the skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and scallions and sweat 4 minutes until soft. Stir in the Scotch bonnet, thyme and black pepper and cook 1 minute until fragrant.
Heat oil over medium. Soften onion, garlic and scallions for 4 minutes; add Scotch bonnet, thyme and black pepper and cook 1 minute until fragrant.
Add the saltfish and tomatoes2 min
Toss in the flaked cod and diced tomato. Cook 2 minutes, stirring gently, so the fish takes on the seasoned oil.
Add flaked cod and diced tomato; cook for 2 minutes, turning gently so the fish becomes coated in the seasoned oil.
Add the callaloo and steam8 min
Mound the chopped callaloo into the pan; it looks like too much and wilts fast. Toss with tongs to mix, cover tightly, and lower the heat to medium-low. Steam in its own moisture 6 to 8 minutes, lifting the lid once halfway to toss. The greens should be tender and dark green.
Pile in callaloo and toss with tongs. Add no water. Cover tightly, reduce to medium-low and steam in its own moisture 6–8 minutes, tossing once halfway through, until tender and dark green.
Cook off the liquid and finish2 min
Uncover. If liquid has pooled, raise the heat to medium-high for 1 to 2 minutes, tossing constantly, until it has evaporated and the greens are glossy. Squeeze over the lime and serve hot.
Uncover; if liquid remains, increase to medium-high and toss constantly for 1–2 minutes until evaporated and the greens are glossy. Finish with lime and serve hot.
07
Sensory cues of doneness
- Visual: vivid forest-green wilted leaves and tender stem coins with white cod, red tomato and green scallion, and no water at the bottom of the pan.
- Auditory: a lively sizzle that quiets to a soft hiss once the lid goes on.
- Olfactory: earthy mineral greens, coconut oil, bruised thyme, saltfish and garlic.
Look for tender forest-green leaves and stems with white cod and red tomato, without water pooling underneath. Expect a soft hiss under the lid and aromas of greens, coconut oil, thyme and garlic.

Troubleshooting

A wet, soggy swamp.: Water was added. Callaloo has all the water it needs; cook it covered in its own juices.
Stringy, fibrous stems.: The stalks were not peeled. Strip the outer strings before slicing.
Too salty.: Salt was added. The saltfish seasons the whole pan. Taste before you add any.

Substitutions

One-to-one swaps, with the technique change each one needs.

Ingredient substitutions

Ingredient	Replace with	Culinary impact and technique adjustment
Fresh callaloo	Swiss chard, amaranth greens or lacinato kale	One-to-one. Strip tough stems and chop fine
Salted cod	Salted pollock or haddock, or smoked herring	One-to-one. Desalinate with the two-boil method
Coconut oil	Unsalted butter or ghee	One-to-one. Same rich pan coating

Scaling

Half, for 2

Halve everything in a 10-inch skillet. Steam 5 to 6 minutes.

Double, for 8

Double the ingredients in a 14-inch rondeau or Dutch oven, and cook uncovered an extra 2 minutes at the end to drive off the liquid.

What to serve it with

Roasted breadfruit
Boiled green bananas and fried dumplings
Blue Mountain coffee, or chilled soursop juice

Questions

What can I use instead of fresh callaloo?

Amaranth greens, Swiss chard or young collards. Chard matches the tender stem and leaf texture best.

Can I use canned callaloo?

Yes. It is pre-cooked. Drain it well and fold it in at the very end for about 3 minutes to heat through.

Is callaloo the same as spinach?

No. Callaloo has thick, fleshy stalks and earthy, mineral leaves with far more structure than spinach. Jamaican callaloo is amaranth; the Trinidadian dish of the same name uses taro leaves.