Saltfish Fried Rice (Caribbean Style)

Learn how to cook this delicious one pan Caribbean Style Saltfish Fried Rice dish. It's so flavoursome, super tasty and filled with nothing but goodness thanks to the use of brown rice and packed with abundance of vegetables. Carry over any leftovers to the next day or even freeze them.

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If you are already familiar with Caribbean cuisines then you will know rice is an island staple.

You will find may island dishes that are paired with rice from brown stew chicken, curry shrimp to curry chicken.

This cuisine is no different, it's a one pan rice dish that is made with brown rice for that extra nutritional value and made with a medley of vegetables - cho cho (chayote/christophine) bell peppers, pumpkin, cabbages and carrots.

A great crowd pleaser or bulk recipe when you need it.

This recipe was actually inspired by my Cabbage and Saltfish recipe and also my Jamaican Steamed Cabbage recipe.

I had half a head of cabbage left over and wanted to make something consisting of rice, cabbage and salt fish.

From there I decided to add some pumpkin to make it seasonal and throw in some other vegetables that were to hand.

The results were good, based on feedback so thought I would post the recipe for others to sample too.

The good thing about this recipe is the quantity is HUGE. you could feed up to 6 people due to the amass of vegetables that are featured. 

Alternatively, you may want to continuously eat the fried rice on rotation instead. Whatever the decide, there will be plenty of leftovers and that is the main thing.

Saltfish fried rice is.............

• Great if you are looking for a recipe that feeds a large family
• A great crowd pleaser recipe
• An enjoyable taste of the Caribbean
• A fish lover's dream
• Brown rice overload, if you want nutritional density!!
• Just as tasty as my Lamb Fried Rice and Turkey Fried Rice recipe.
• Perfect if you want plenty of leftovers to stock up and freeze.

Ingredients you will need

• Pumpkin
• Cooked brown rice
• Cabbage
• Cho cho (chayote/christophine)
• Bell pepper
• Carrots
• Tomato
• Tomato paste
• Saltfish
• Scallion
• Onion
• Garlic
• Thyme
• Garlic granules/powder
• Onion powder
• Coriander (cilantro)
• Paprika
• Black pepper
• Chilli or scotch bonnet
• Coconut aminos (alternative to soy)
• Warm water
• Coconut oil
• Sesame oil

How to make saltfish fried rice

• Grab a large wok/skillet/dutch oven and melt some coconut oil on medium heat (Picture 1).
• Proceed to add the scallion, onion and garlic and then saute until soft and translucent in colour.
• Add the chopped tomato and tomato paste then stir into the onions/stir to yield a red hue (Picture 2 & 3).

• Then add the cabbage, bell peppers, pumpkin, carrot, cho cho and fold into with the other ingredients to fully combine (Picture 3).
• Pour the ⅓ cup of warm water into the pan, cover with a lid and reduce the flame to low and steam for 10-15 minutes until the pumpkin is tender (check with a fork) (Picture 4).

• Remove the lid after the given time and increase the heat to medium and now add the saltfish and brown rice (Picture 5).
• Season the pan with the paprika, coriander, thyme, black pepper, garlic and onion powder, chilli or scotch bonnet if you are using it (Picture 6).
• Fold into the seasoning along with the salt fish and rice so everything is evenly combined.
• Drizzle coconut aminos and sesame oil over the entire rice and vegetables if you are using it, and stir once more
• Serve accordingly.

Frequently asked questions

What is coconut aminos?

It's a soy(a) sauce alternative made from the coconut blossoms and salt. It's gluten free, vegan and has a low GI..

It's great if you don't want to use soy(a) based products and you can buy it here.

Why do you have to cook the rice ahead of time and make it cold?

Warm rice has a tendency to be soft and form clumps.

On the other hand, cold rice grains separate with ease and  perfect for a fried rice dish such as this one.

Cooking it ahead of time means the rice will be cold enough to use straight away.

Where can you buy cho cho and/or scotch bonnet?

Most Caribbean/ latino markets will have it to hand. Other markets that sell ethnic food may stock it to.

Note and tips

• As this dish yields such a large batch, prepare it in a large pan. A large skillet, paella pan, or even a deep dutch pot will suffice. Preferably something that is at least 12''inches in size such as this one .
• Any leftover cho cho, pumpkin or bell pepper can be chopped down and frozen in freezer bags to use another time.
• I used my D.I.Y saltfish recipe so I don't need to soak, and boil the fish.
• If you cannot get hold of Cho cho/chayote/christophine then zucchini/courgette works as a good replica.
• Butternut squash is a great alternative if you cannot get hold of pumpkin
• This recipe is freezer friendly, I highly recommend freezing leftovers immediately.
• Alternatively, consume by the NEXT DAY if you aren't freezing as cabbage goes rancid quite quickly.
• Make sure the water that you use to steam the vegetables is at least tepid/lukewarm to keep the temperature level constant.
• I used fresh thyme with the stem removed but dried leaves work too.
• If for some reason, more water is left in the pan after steaming the vegetables. Quickly increase the heat, for about 1 minutes to let the excess water evaporate then continue with the additional steps.
• Chilli and scotch bonnet is optional, if you want a extra kick include either. If depends on how fiery you want the recipe in terms of how much to use.

Other Caribbean recipes you may like

• Caribbean Style Curry Cod
• Okra and Saltfish
• Spicy Sweet Shrimp and Plantain
• Jamaican Ox tail Stew
• Escovitch Fish

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Saltfish Fried Rice

Delicious one pan Saltfish Fried rRce is every seafood lovers dream come true - GF

5 from 4 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Entree

Cuisine: Caribbean

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 -6 servings

Calories: 671kcal

Author: Charla

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 lb salt fish soaked n boiled (or see my DIY version in the post)
• ▢ 2 cups of pumpkin chopped (200g)
• ▢ 2 cups of cold cooked brown rice see post(220g)
• ▢ ½ head of cabbage chopped in small pieces
• ▢ ½ a cho cho chayote/christophine
• ▢ ½  red Bell pepper chopped
• ▢ ½ green bell pepper chopped
• ▢ 1 large carrot cut into fine strips (julienne)
• ▢ 1 large tomato chopped
• ▢ 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• ▢ 2 small scallion sliced
• ▢ 1 medium onion
• ▢ 4 garlic cloves chopped finely
• ▢ 1 teaspoon thyme dried or fresh with stems removed
• ▢ 1 teaspoon garlic granules/powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon onion powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon coriander cilantro
• ▢ 1 teaspoon paprika
• ▢ 1 teaspoon black pepper
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon Chilli or scotch bonnet
• ▢ 1 tablespoon coconut aminos alternative to soy
• ▢ ⅓ cup warm water 80ml
• ▢ 3 tablespoon coconut oil
• ▢ A splash of sesame oil for drizzling

Instructions

• Grab a large wok/skillet/dutch oven and melt some coconut oil on medium heat.
• Proceed to add the scallion, onion and garlic and then saute until soft and translucent in colour.
• Add the chopped tomato and tomato paste then stir into the onions/stir to yield a red hue.
• Then add the cabbage, bell peppers, pumpkin, carrot, cho cho and fold into with the other ingredients to fully combine.
• Pour the ⅓ cup of warm water into the pan, cover with a lid and reduce the flame to low and steam for 10-15 minutes until the pumpkin is tender (check with a fork).
• Remove the lid after the given time and increase the heat to medium and now add the saltfish and brown rice
• Season the pan with the paprika, coriander, thyme, black pepper, garlic and onion powder, chilli or scotch bonnet if you are using it.
• Fold into the seasoning along with the salt fish and rice so everything is evenly combined.
• Drizzle coconut aminos and sesame oil over the entire rice and vegetables if you are using it, and stir once more
• Serve accordingly.

Notes

Note and tips

• As this dish yields such a large batch, prepare it in a large pan. A large skillet, paella pan, or even a deep dutch pot will suffice. Preferably something that is at least 12''inches in size such as this one .
• Any leftover cho cho, pumpkin or bell pepper can be chopped down and frozen in freezer bags to use another time.
• I used my D.I.Y saltfish recipe so I don't need to soak, and boil the fish. 
• If you cannot get hold of Cho cho/chayote/christophine then zucchini/courgette works as a good replica.
• Butternut squash is a great alternative if you cannot get hold of pumpkin
• This recipe is freezer friendly, I highly recommend freezing leftovers immediately.
• Alternatively, consume by the NEXT DAY if you aren't freezing as cabbage goes rancid quite quickly.
• Make sure the water that you use to steam the vegetables is at least tepid/lukewarm to keep the temperature level constant.
• I used fresh thyme with the stem removed but dried leaves work too.
• If for some reason, more water is left in the pan after steaming the vegetables. Quickly increase the heat, for about 1 minutes to let the excess water evaporate then continue with the additional steps.
• Chilli and scotch bonnet is optional, if you want a extra kick include either. If depends on how fiery you want the recipe in terms of how much to use.

Nutrition

Calories: 671kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 78g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 172mg | Sodium: 8129mg | Potassium: 2528mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 10082IU | Vitamin C: 94mg | Calcium: 275mg | Iron: 6mg

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