Taste of the Caribbean ~ Green Figs and Saltfish

Описание: When I think about the Caribbean, I think about white sandy beaches, clear blue water, swaying palm trees and fresh bananas from the tree. But have you ever thought about green bananas and how to cook with them? Well, Saint-Lucians have. In fact, green bananas - or green figs as they are called on Saint Lucia - are part of the Saint-Lucian national dish : Green figs and Saltfish! Don't judge until you try it. You might be surprised and have found a new delicacy to tempt your tastebuds!

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Today’s vocab is:
Cod ~ La morue
Thyme ~ Le thym
Coconut oil ~ L’huile de noix de coco
Garlic clove ~ La gousse d'ail
To deseed ~ Épépiner

Nathalie’s notes:
-Next time, I will boil the green figs and the fish ahead of time.
-The recipe I followed calls for spring onions also known as or green onions.
-For the cucumber salad, I used an English cucumber. Since the seeds are small, I decided not deseeding it.
-If you can’t find seasoning peppers, substitute with 1 medium sweet peppers
-As I could not find salted cod, I "combined" steps 1 and 2 by boiling fresh cod fillets in salted water. I added between 1/4 and 1/2 cup of sea salt to the water. The fish was mildly salty after boiling.

Recipe:
https://www.islanderkeys.com/green-fi...

4 to 5 servings

1 lb. salt codfish
10-14 green bananas (known as green figs)
1 medium cucumber
1/4 c coconut oil or olive
1 large onion, chopped finely
2 spring onions, chopped
1 large sweet pepper, chopped
6 seasoning peppers, sliced thinly (use 1 medium/large sweet pepper if cannot find)
4 garlic cloves, 2 grated
2 tsp. fresh thyme
3 tomatoes, deseeded and diced
Ground black pepper
Parsley for garnish
2 – 3 tsp. lime juice

Preparing the Saltfish
1. To remove excess salt in the salted codfish place it in a large pan and cover with water. Boil it and bring to a simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes. Drain the water from the pan and refill it with fresh water and repeat the boiling process for 15 to 20 minutes. You may need to do this two or three times until the water after you boil the saltfish has a slightly salty taste.

2. Drain the water in the pan and place the saltfish aside until it reaches a temperature that you can handle. Clean the salted codfish to remove scales and bones. Finally, break the saltfish into small flakes then cover it and place it inside.

3. Add a little oil to a medium to large pan over medium heat. Add half of a large onion, peppers, two cloves of grated garlic and Saute for about 5 minutes until the seasoning starts to emit a fragrance. Add the spring onions and mix thoroughly until all the contents of the pan have a soft texture.

4. Add the flaked saltfish to the pan along with one tsp. of thyme and the other half of the onions then stir to mix all ingredients thoroughly. Cover the pan and allow its contents to cook for an additional 5 minutes. Finally add diced tomatoes, ground black pepper, mix thoroughly and let it cook for an extra 5 minutes.

Preparing the Green Figs
5. Wash the green figs (green bananas) then cut off the two ends. Make a slice through the skin of the green figs from end-to-end. Do this for each green fig. Place the green fig in a pan with boiling water. Allow boiling for about 10 minutes. Drain the water from the pan and allow the green things to cool to a temperature that you can handle. Peel the skin off the green figs. Place the green figs in a pan of boiling water with 2 tsp. of salt, 2 tablespoons coconut oil and 3 cloves of garlic. Allow to boil and simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes. Drain the water from the pan and allow the green things to cool enough so that you can handle.

6. Cut each green fig into three parts. Place 4 to 5 slices of green fig on serving plates. Place a generous portion of the finished cooked saltfish next to the green fig on your serving plate. Garnish it with some chopped parsley.

Preparing the Cucumber Salad
7. Deseed 1 cucumber and cut it into thin circular slices.

8. Whisk together a vinaigrette dressing with lime juice, a tiny bit of salt, grated garlic, vinegar, and the coconut oil. Drizzle all over the sliced cucumbers and mix well. Plate on the side of green fig and saltfish


Enjoy!!

Links:
https://saintlucialife.net/Saint-Luci...
https://hellenisteukontos.opoudjis.ne...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_L...

Filmed & edited by Oskar Hirte of Willowfield Productions