Run Down Jamaican

Medium·20 min

Salted mackerel simmered in reduced coconut milk until the cream breaks into a fragrant, oily custard-like sauce, scented with thyme, scallion and Scotch bonnet.

Known affectionately as "run dung" in Jamaican patois, this dish takes its name from the way coconut milk is boiled down until the oil "runs down" into a thick custard. It grew from coastal fishing villages where pickled and salted mackerel was a pantry staple, traditionally cooked over wood fires and served as a hearty Saturday or weekday morning meal.

Rich, savory and faintly sweet, the coconut cream clings to silky flakes of salty fish. Thyme and Scotch bonnet cut through with a warm herbal heat that lingers on the tongue.

Boiling coconut milk uncovered drives off water and breaks the emulsion, releasing aromatic oil that concentrates flavor and coats the fish. Pre-soaking the salted mackerel pulls out excess brine so the dish stays balanced.

Variations

Salt mackerel run down, shad run down, fresh fish run down, ackee run down

On the Palate

Where Run Down Jamaican sits in the Jamaican flavor cloud

Ingredients

Serves 4

1 wholeScotch Bonnet Pepper

4 berriesAllspice

How it's made

8 steps · 20 min

1
25 min
Soak salted mackerel in water 20-30 minutes, then drain, debone and flake into large pieces.
2
12 min
Pour coconut milk into a wide pot and boil uncovered over medium-high heat, stirring, until it thickens and the oil separates into a custard.
Watch out
Boil the coconut milk uncovered until it thickens and the oil breaks out into a custard — that split, oily curd is the whole flavor base.
3
6 min
Add sliced onion, scallion, chopped tomato, thyme and a whole Scotch bonnet; simmer until fragrant.
4
3 min
Stir in the flaked mackerel and coat well in the reduced coconut cream.
5
9 min
Add a splash of water if needed and simmer gently 8-10 minutes to marry the flavors.
6
2 min
Season with black pepper and a little allspice; remove the Scotch bonnet before it bursts.
Watch out
Fish out the whole Scotch bonnet before it bursts — left to split, it floods the pot with raw heat.
7
2 min
Taste for salt, adjusting carefully since the fish is already salty.
Watch out
Taste before adding any salt — the mackerel is already salty, so add a pinch at a time.
8
3 min
Serve hot with boiled green bananas, dumplings or yam.