Saint Lucia's national dish — boiled green bananas ('figs') tossed with salt cod soaked, flaked, and sautéed in onion, sweet pepper, tomato, and herbs. A humble plate of the island's two staples.
Green fig and saltfish is the national dish of Saint Lucia, pairing boiled green bananas (called 'figs') with sautéed salt cod — a legacy of the plantation-era saltfish trade.
Take a forkful of green fig and saltfish — soft, starchy slices of green banana coated in savory, flaky salt cod with sweet pepper, onion, and tomato. Bite: the green banana is mild and faintly tart, the saltfish deeply savory and a little salty, the vegetables fresh, thyme and scotch bonnet warming. Simple, satisfying, and unmistakably Saint Lucian — breakfast or any meal.
Boiling the green (unripe) bananas in their skins keeps them firm and starchy, not sweet like ripe ones. Soaking and boiling the salt cod removes excess salt; sautéing it with aromatics builds the savory base that coats the bland banana, the two staples balancing each other.
Variations
With coconut oil. With more tomato. Spicier with extra scotch bonnet. With avocado folded in. With a fried bake. Drier or saucier.
On the Palate
Where Green Fig and Saltfish sits in the Saint Lucian flavor cloud
Soak and boil the salt cod to pull out the excess salt, then build a savory sautéed base with it — that seasoned fish is what carries the bland boiled green bananas, so the two balance each other.
Ingredients
Serves 4
How it's made
8 steps · 30 min active + 30 min waiting
- 114 min
Soak 300 g salt cod overnight; boil 10 min, then flake and remove bones.
- 222 min
Boil 8 green bananas in their skins until tender, 20 min; peel and slice.
Watch outThe green bananas are ready when a knife slides into the flesh easily but they still hold their shape — about 20 min in the skin.
- 36 min
Fry 1 chopped onion, garlic, sweet pepper, and tomato in oil.
- 44 min
Add the flaked saltfish, thyme, and a little scotch bonnet; sauté 4 min.
Watch outSauté the flaked fish with the aromatics until it smells savory and toasty, only 4 min — this is the flavor base.
- 52 min
Toss the sliced green bananas through the saltfish mixture.
- 62 min
Add a splash of water and a drizzle of oil to bring it together.
- 72 min
Season with black pepper and chopped chive.
- 82 min
Serve warm, often with avocado and a bake on the side.
