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Solomon Gundy (Jamaican Smoked Herring Pâté)
Smoked red herring boiled to draw out the salt, then blended with vinegar, onion, scallion, Scotch bonnet, thyme and pimento into a spicy, tangy paste for spreading on crackers.
Jamaican · easy · serves 8
prep 25 min · cook 15 min
~204 cal · 12g protein · 4g carbs · 15g fat · 1g fiber · 2g sugars · 3g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Solomon Gundy is a spicy Jamaican pâté of smoked herring, usually served with crackers as an appetizer or with drinks. Its name is thought to come from the English salmagundi, an old dish of many mixed ingredients, and the Jamaica Observer has called it a legacy of both the British and the French, remade as something entirely Jamaican.
It starts with smoked red herring, which is salty enough that it is boiled first to draw some of the salt out. The fish is then pounded or blended with vinegar, onion, scallion, thyme, pimento and fiery pepper into a thick, dark, tangy paste, sometimes called Caribbean caviar, that is heaped onto water crackers and eaten a spoonful at a time.
Jamaicans abroad buy it in jars, but it is simple to make. Some cooks mix in a little cream cheese to soften it; it is also good on tostones, roast or hard dough bread.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally dairy-, nut-, egg- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 8
- 450 g (1 lb) smoked red herring fillets (boneless if you can find them)
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) white or cane vinegar
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) vegetable or olive oil
- 1/2 small onion, chopped
- 1 large scallion (spring onion), sliced
- 1 pepper, seeded and chopped, use half for a milder paste
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- 1/2 tsp ground pimento (allspice)
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 packet water crackers, to serve
Instructions
- 1Put the herring in a pan, cover with water, bring to a boil and boil for 10 to 15 minutes to draw out the excess salt. Drain and leave until cool enough to handle.✎ Chef’s noteTaste a flake. If it is still very salty, boil it again in fresh water for 5 minutes.
- 2Pull away the skin and pick out every bone you can find, flaking the flesh into a bowl.
- 3Put the fish in a food processor with the vinegar, oil, onion, scallion, Scotch bonnet, thyme, garlic, pimento and sugar.
- 4Pulse to a coarse paste, or blend longer for a smooth one, scraping down the sides. Taste for vinegar and heat.✎ Chef’s noteWear gloves when you handle Scotch bonnet, and keep your hands away from your eyes.
- 5Pack into a clean jar and serve with crackers. It keeps, covered, in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
Jamaican tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Kingston (Surrey). Jerk did not start here. Its home is Boston Bay in Portland parish on the northeast coast, and the technique descends from Maroon cooking in the interior, so a Kingston jerk pan is an import that the city took up thoroughly. Ackee and saltfish, meanwhile, is a triangular-trade dish: a West African tree and a North Atlantic fish that only met in the Caribbean.
🗺️
Jamaica. Jamaican food burns with its own fire, from jerk-spiced meats smoked over pimento wood to the national dish of ackee and saltfish. Scotch bonnet heat, allspice, thyme, and one-pot rice and peas define an island cuisine with African, Indian, and British roots.
🌍
North America. The most consequential technique on this continent is nixtamalisation, cooking maize with lime or wood ash. It loosens the skins, makes the dough that becomes tortillas and tamales, and frees up niacin the body cannot otherwise absorb, which is why maize spread around the world without the technique and took pellagra with it.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Jamaica
Jerk ChickenChicken marinated in scallion, thyme, allspice, and Scotch bonnet, grilled low and smoky.
Curry GoatBone-in goat marinated in Jamaican curry and green seasoning, then braised slow with allspice, thyme, and Scotch bonnet until it falls from the bone.
Escovitch FishWhole snapper fried crisp, then drenched in a hot vinegar pickle of onion, carrot, Scotch bonnet, and pimento.
Browse all Jamaica recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Blender, Food processor.
Storing it: Keeps 2 to 3 days refrigerated. Resteam or warm through gently to serve.
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Cuisine
Diet
Frequently asked questions
What is Solomon Gundy (Jamaican Smoked Herring Pâté)?
Smoked red herring boiled to draw out the salt, then blended with vinegar, onion, scallion, Scotch bonnet, thyme and pimento into a spicy, tangy paste for spreading on crackers.
Where does Solomon Gundy (Jamaican Smoked Herring Pâté) come from?
Solomon Gundy (Jamaican Smoked Herring Pâté) is a Jamaican dish from Kingston (Surrey), Jamaica.
Can Solomon Gundy (Jamaican Smoked Herring Pâté) be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Solomon Gundy (Jamaican Smoked Herring Pâté) recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions. Treat the substitutions as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Solomon Gundy (Jamaican Smoked Herring Pâté) safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we still count coconut as a tree nut to be cautious, although the FDA stopped listing it as one in 2025), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Solomon Gundy (Jamaican Smoked Herring Pâté) take to make?
About 40 minutes total (25 minutes prep, 15 minutes cooking), serving 8.
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