Green Fig and Saltfish (Green Banana)

Learn how to make this delicious Caribbean recipe known as green fig (green banana) and saltfish. An extremely popular island cuisine that is also the national dish of St Lucia.

Course Main Entree

Cuisine Caribbean

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 20

Total Time 40

Servings people

Calories 391kcal

Author Charla

Ingredients

To boil the green fig/green banana

4-8 fingers of green fig (banana)

To cook the saltfish

½ - 1 lb saltfish (225g-680g) see notes for my D.I.Y version
1 medium onion sliced
4 garlic cloves minced
1 cup mixed bell peppers (150g) chopped, (I use orange and yellow)
pimento pepper optional
1 large tomato chopped
1 tablespoon tomato puree (15g)
¼ cup warm water (60ml)
2-3 teaspoon of thyme (9g) dried
2-3 teaspoon parsley (9g) dried
hot sauce or scotch bonnet optional and to taste
pink salt and black pepper if needed to taste

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

To boil the fig/green banana

Bring a large saucepan of water to boiling point.
Meanwhile, partially cut the top and bottom (don't chop it off completely) then lightly score the fig lengthways and repeat this step with the remaining banana.
Place the fig in the boiling water then cook until tender (this will take about 15-20 minutes). When the fig is cooked it will be tender (use a fork to determine its readiness)
Once cooked, drain off the water then allow the fig to cool.
Once cooled, use the top and bottom tip to peel off the skin with ease.

To cook the saltfish

Add the olive oil to a non stick frying pan on medium heat.
Sauté the onion and garlic until soft and translucent.
Add the bell peppers/pimento peppers then proceed to cook until the vegetables are soft.
Add the chopped tomato and the tomato paste then continue to stir for about 1-2 minutes
Fold in the saltfish and then add some of the warm water continue to cook for a few minutes.
Proceed to season the saltfish with the thyme and parsley,
Add the scotch bonnet/hot sauce and black pepper and pink salt to taste (do a taste test, as the sodium levels will vary).

Video

Notes

As always I am using my D.I.Y Homemade Saltfish which is unrefined and a healthier version of the store bought kind.
1 lb of saltfish will serve more than 4 people (roughly) 6 instead).
The amount of hot sauce or scotch bonnet is subjective, but if you don't care for any heat simply leave it out.
If you are using 1 lb of saltfish then you will need to cook 6-8 fig (green banana).
Don't use a fancy saucepan to boil the fig (green banana) the excess film can stain your pot.
It is a matter of preference if you want to boil the fig with the skin on or off.
To save time, you can prep the vegetables ahead of time.

Nutrition