SALTFISH and ACKEE/CALLALOO

To make these dishes with Salt fish (Dried Salted Cod, a.k.a. Baccaloa), do this:

Boil 1 lb. boneless salt fish in a saucepan with fresh water. When the fish is cooked, pour off water.

Pour fresh cold water onto the fish and remove the skin, if you bought skin on cod fish. Pour off cold water and then flake the fish with a fork.

Add the fish to the sautéed onions and tomatoes before adding ackee/calllaoo respectively. Watch out how you apply the salt.

Although the salt is cooked out of the fish, a significant amount of it still remains.

POP CHOW (BOK CHOI)

1 lb Bok Choi

2 oz Cooking Oil

1 Large Onion

2 Plum tomatoes

1 Tbsp. Salt

1 Tbsp. Black Pepper

2 Cloves Garlic

1 tbsp. Ginger (chopped)

2 sprig. Thyme

Wash bok choi to remove the dirt that’s usually found in the root area.

Chop bok choi into 1/8” pieces (don’t measure it just estimate). In the meantime you can sauté the onions, tomatoes, and garlic together.

Add bok choi to the ingredients in the pot, and then add about 2 tbsp of water. Now add salt and black pepper. Cover the pot and let the bok choi steam until soft.

Taste the stew; it should have a taste like it is ready, now add the ginger and thyme.

Turn the fire to low and let it simmer some more for about 3 minutes.

Serve with white rice or bread.

And like I said before, you can make any of these vegetarian dishes Ital by omitting the salt. Just imagine once or twice a week having delicious Jamaican vegetarian foods, without salt; that's healthy mon!