Learn how to bring a taste of Jamaica to your household with this mackerel rundown recipe. This seafood dish is a classic with flaky mackerel cooked down in a rich coconut sauce.
Mackerel rundown is a recipe that is very close to my heart and brings back many childhood memories.
It's one of those recipes that you either love it or hate it with no in between.
When we say "rundown or rundung" it simply means to cook down, like a reduction, in this case a sauce reduction.
Mackerel rundown is made with mackerel, yes it's pretty self explanatory, some people like to use salted mackerel which requires soaking/boiling ahead of time before being flaked.
I personally like to use unsalted mackerel fillets as opposed to whole mackerel, simply because it is more accessible in my neck of the woods and convenient.
A blend of vegetables, herbs and spices are cooked in coconut milk.
Freshly made coconut milk is how we use to make ours but nowadays living in the disapora where fresh coconut isn't always available I use a can of full fat coconut milk.
Rundown has a signature taste in coconut, the coconut milk is cooked down until it forms a thick flavoursome sauce, some refer to it as "custard".
Then the mackerel is added last, where it soaks up the sauce reduction.
My grandmother made the best mackerel rundown and unfortunately she didn't leave the original recipe with me, so consider this my rendition.
One golden rule with rundown, you must serve it with green banana, you can of course accompany the dish with other things such as dumpling, yam and other hard food.
Ingredients you will need
- Mackerel - This is the star of the show, I personally use unsalted fillets and add some salt while it's boiling for ease.
- Coconut milk - Again, another star of the show. This is what makes the rundown, without it, there is no run down!
- Bell peppers - Any colour bell peppers will do but I use mixed colours.
- Onion/scallion/garlic - These are the base ingredients and foundation for most recipes.
- Tomato - For acidity and colour.
- Pimento berries - A spice that is used in many Jamaican recipes.
- Thyme - This is a crucial herb for Jamaican recipes.
- Black pepper/pink salt - To enhance the taste.
- All purpose seasoning - Subtly enhances the taste/flavour.
The steps
- Start by placing the mackerel fillets in a large saucepan filled with water and 1 teaspoon of pink salt and bring to the boil.
- Boil the mackerel for about 5-10 minutes.
- After the given time, drain the fish off (you can use a colander to do so) then leave to completely cool.
- Use a fork or your hands to flake the fish in a medium sized bowl then set aside.
- Pour the coconut milk into a medium sized frying pan on medium heat.
- Add the onion, scallion, garlic, bell peppers, tomatoes, pimento berries, thyme and all purpose seasoning and stir.
- Leave to simmer for 10-15 minutes (it may take alittle longer so be patient), stirring occasionally, during the given time the coconut milk should thicken and start to reduce.
- Once the coconut milk has thickened, fold in the flaked mackerel.
- Continue to cook until there is very little coconut milk left (you may need to increase the heat to help evaporate the coconut milk).
- Do a taste test and add additional black pepper and pink salt to taste.
- Remove the thyme stems before serving.
Notes and tips
- Always remember to do a taste test towards the end and adjust according to your preference.
- Feel free to add a scotch bonnet if you want to for a spicy kick.
- Make sure you are using FULL FAT coconut milk with no additives, this is very important for making the sauce reduction.
- Patience is key, don't rush the sauce, let it simmer until it is thickens before adding the fish.
- If you are using fresh salted makerel then you will need to soak and boil off the excess salt prior flaking the fish.
serving suggestions
- Jamaican Callaloo Recipe
- How to Steam Vegetables On The Stove
- Jamaican Steamed Cabbage
- Jamaican Boiled Dumplings
- Boiled Plantain
- Steamed Bananas
- Roasted Mashed Breadfruit
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Mackerel Rundown Recipe
Ingredients
To boil the mackerel
- 1 lb mackerel fillets
- 1 teaspoon pink salt
To cook the rundown
- 1½ cups coconut milk MUST BE FULL FAT NO ADDITIVES
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1 scallion sliced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tomato chopped
- 1 cup mixed bell peppers chopped
- 1 tablespoon pimento berries
- 6 sprigs of thyme
- 1 teaspoon all purpose seasoning
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon pink salt
Instructions
- Start by placing the mackerel fillets in a large saucepan filled with water and 1 teaspoon of pink salt and bring to the boil.
- Boil the mackerel for about 5-10 minutes.
- After the given time, drain the fish off (you can use a colander to do so) then leave to completely cool.
- Use a fork or your hands to flake the fish in a medium sized bowl then set aside.
- Pour the coconut milk into a medium sized frying pan on medium heat.
- Add the onion, scallion, garlic, bell peppers, tomatoes, pimento berries, thyme and all purpose seasoning and stir.
- Leave to simmer for 10-15 minutes (it may take alittle longer so be patient), stirring occasionally, during the given time the coconut milk should thicken and start to reduce.
- Once the coconut milk has thickened, fold in the flaked mackerel.
- Continue to cook until there is very little coconut milk left (you may need to increase the heat to help evaporate the coconut milk).
- Do a taste test and add additional black pepper and pink salt to taste.
- Remove the thyme stems before serving.
Notes
- Always remember to do a taste test towards the end and adjust according to your preference.
- Feel free to add a scotch bonnet if you want to for a spicy kick.
- Make sure you are using FULL FAT coconut milk with no additives, this is very important for making the sauce reduction.
- Patience is key, don't rush the sauce, let it simmer until it is thickens before adding the fish.
- If you are using fresh salted makerel then you will need to soak and boil off the excess salt prior flaking the fish.
Donna-Marie Jenyo says
Hi. Never made rundown from scratch, used to use Walker's Wood Rundown, but can never find it these days, so I'm looking forward to trying this!!
Will ready cooked packet or tinned mackerel (which is what I'm used to using) be okay in this recipe?
Charla says
Tinned mackerel would be best, infact that's what I use the majority of the time as it even more affordable than fresh mackerel.