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Trini buljol
Buljol: flaked salt cod with tomato, onion and peppers
Sunday breakfast in Port of Spain often means buljol: soaked, flaked salt cod tossed raw-style with tomato, onion, sweet peppers, hot pepper and good oil, piled into a split fry bake or eaten with avocado and hard-boiled egg. The fish is cooked before flaking, so the dish is a fresh, sharp salad with plenty of salty bite rather than a stew. Start the night before, because the cod needs a long soak. The most common mistake is not soaking or boiling the fish enough, leaving buljol painfully salty. Chef's tip: flake the cod with your fingers rather than a fork, so you can feel and remove every small bone and bit of skin.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 10 ½ oz boneless salt codsoaked in cold water in the fridge for 12 hours, water changed twice
- 1 red onionfinely chopped
- 2 tomatoesdeseeded and diced
- 1 sweet pepperfinely diced (any colour)
- 2 pimento peppersseasoning peppers, finely chopped (or a little extra sweet pepper)
- ½ scotch bonnetdeseeded, very finely chopped, to taste
- 2 tbsp chadon benifinely chopped (or coriander)
- 2 spring onionsfinely sliced
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- ½ tsp black pepper
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Drain 10 ½ oz boneless salt cod, put it in a pan of fresh cold water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 10 minutes, until it flakes easily and is opaque all the way through, then drain. Taste a flake: if it is still very salty, boil it again in fresh water for 5 minutes.
10 minStep 2: When the fish is cool enough to handle, flake it finely with your fingers, picking out any bones and skin. Squeeze the flakes gently to remove excess water.
5 minStep 3: In a bowl, toss the fish with 1 red onion, 2 tomatoes, 1 sweet pepper, 2 pimento peppers, ½ scotch bonnet, 2 tbsp chadon beni and 2 spring onions.
Step 4: Add 3 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp lime juice and ½ tsp black pepper and toss again until everything glistens. Taste; you shouldn't need salt. Rest for 10 minutes so the flavours mingle, then serve with fry bake, bread or avocado. Keep leftovers in the fridge and eat within 2 days.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 230 kcal
- Protein
- 26 g
- Carbs
- 7 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does trini buljol take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of red onion?
- White onion or shallots, same amount (soak raw onion in cold water for 10 minutes to soften it).
- What can I use instead of tomatoes?
- Tinned chopped tomatoes: a 400g tin for about 6 tomatoes (in cooked dishes, not salads).
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