Seychelles plantain-coconut stew — green plantains cut into chunks, simmered with coconut milk, salt fish, onion, garlic, ginger, and turmeric until the plantain absorbs the coconut and turns tender-rich. A coastal everyday dish, served as a main with rice or bread.
Kat-kat banane is a Seychellois everyday dish reflecting the islands' abundant plantain and coconut. The salt fish is traditionally Seychellois 'pwason sale' (locally cured tuna or grouper). The dish is cooked in clay pots over wood fires in villages; in cities, on stovetop. Filling, affordable, and uniquely Seychellois.
Spoon up kat-kat banane — chunks of tender plantain in golden-orange coconut sauce, flaked salt fish scattered throughout. Plantain's starchy-sweet meets the cured-fish brininess, coconut's tropical fat, turmeric's earthy depth, slow chili heat. Each bite is hearty and complete; the dish is meant to fill you. With rice or bread, this is the Seychellois coastal weeknight dinner.
Green plantain starch needs full cooking to gelatinize; the coconut milk's fat provides both flavor and lubrication during the slow cook. The Seychellois salt fish (pwason sale — cured tuna or grouper) has high glutamate content from curing that integrates with coconut to create umami depth. Desalting the fish 12 hours is critical — undesalted fish overwhelms; over-desalted loses character.
Variations
Vegetarian kat-kat omits fish; uses extra coconut + tofu. Shrimp version uses fresh shrimp instead of salt fish. Tuna version uses fresh tuna chunks. Modern restaurant version garnishes with toasted coconut.
On the Palate
Where Kat-Kat Banane sits in the Seychellois flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4
How it's made
12 steps · 25 min active + 25 min waiting
- 1722 min
Soak 200 g salt cod overnight (change water once) to desalt. Drain. Flake into chunks.
Watch outSoak the salt cod overnight and taste a flake before cooking — it should read pleasantly seasoned, not fiercely salty; the whole dish is salted around it.
- 24 min
Peel 4 large green plantains. Cut into 3-cm chunks.
- 37 min
Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a heavy pot. Add 2 chopped onions; cook 6 min.
- 43 min
Add 5 minced garlic cloves + 2 tbsp grated ginger + 4 sprigs thyme + 1 chopped bird's eye chili + 1 tsp ground turmeric. Cook 2 min.
- 55 min
Add 2 diced tomatoes + 1 tbsp tomato paste. Cook 4 min.
- 62 min
Add plantain chunks; toss in spice paste.
- 73 min
Add 400 ml coconut milk + 200 ml water + 4 kaffir lime leaves + 1 bay leaf + ½ tsp salt (lighter than usual due to salt fish).
- 816 min
Bring to a simmer; cover; cook 15 min until plantain is starting to tender.
Watch outCover and simmer until a plantain chunk gives to a fork but still holds its shape — it finishes cooking once the fish goes in.
- 99 min
Add salt fish flakes. Cook 8 min more.
- 106 min
Uncover; simmer 5 min to reduce sauce.
Watch outUncover and let it bubble down until the sauce clings to the plantain instead of pooling watery at the bottom.
- 112 min
Taste; adjust salt cautiously. Stir in 2 tbsp chopped parsley.
Watch outTaste before adding any salt — the cod's already seasoning the pot, so it's easy to overshoot.
- 123 min
Serve hot with rice or fresh white bread for soaking sauce.
