Recipe
🍳 BREAKFAST
Stewed Saltfish with Dumplings
Salt cod stewed down with tomato, onion, and pepper, served with boiled dumplings and ground provisions, the national breakfast of St. Kitts.
Kittitian · medium · serves 4
prep 20 min · cook 30 min
~697 cal · 23g protein · 106g carbs · 22g fat · 10g fiber · 26g sugars · 11g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Stewed saltfish with dumplings is a traditional breakfast of Saint Kitts and Nevis, a savoury plate built on salt cod, once a cheap keeping protein and now a staple.
The salt cod is soaked to tame it, then stewed down with tomato, onion, sweet pepper, thyme, and into a rich, savoury sauce. It is served with boiled flour dumplings and ground , sturdy accompaniments that soak up the flavour.
Filling and comforting, it is the kind of substantial breakfast built to start a day of work. Stewed saltfish with dumplings is a proud Kittitian and Nevisian tradition, honest island food rooted in resourcefulness.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally dairy-, 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 4
10 oz salt cod (saltfish), soaked and flaked
1 onion
2 tomato
1 sweet pepper
2 sprigs thyme
3 cloves garlic
1/2
2 cups flour (for dumplings)
1/2 cup grated coconut (for the dumplings)
3 ripe , cut in half-inch pieces
2 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
3 tbsp
to taste black pepper
Instructions
1
Soak and boil the saltfish to remove excess salt, then drain, flake it, and set aside.
✎ Chef’s note
Taste the saltfish after boiling; if it is still very salty, boil it again in fresh water so it seasons the stew rather than overpowering it.
2
Saute the onion, garlic, sweet pepper, thyme, and Scotch bonnet in oil, then add the tomato and cook down.
3
Stir in the flaked saltfish and a splash of water and simmer 10 minutes into a savory stew.
4
Meanwhile, rub the flour with the grated coconut, salt and a little oil, bind with water into a stiff dough, knead 2 minutes and shape into dumplings.
✎ Chef’s note
The dumplings carry grated coconut: they are coconut dumplings, not plain ones, and that is part of how the national dish is defined.
5
Boil the dumplings 10 to 15 minutes, and separately fry the ripe plantain pieces with the grated ginger and a little Scotch bonnet until caramelised at the edges.
6
Serve the stewed saltfish with the coconut dumplings and the spicy plantains alongside.
✎ Chef’s note
This exact trio is the national dish of Saint Kitts and Nevis, chosen by competition in 2003 to mark twenty years of independence, from a recipe by Jacquoline Ryan, precisely because it uses produce grown on the islands.
St. Kitts and Nevis national breakfast.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Basseterre. Basseterre slow-cooks goat water at weekends, a thick goat stew with breadfruit and papaya, seasoned with clove and thickened toward gravy. Saint Kitts and Nevis cooking runs on saltfish, dumplings, and the ubiquitous pepper sauce.
🗺️
Saint Kitts and Nevis. Sources genuinely disagree about the national dish, some naming stewed saltfish with dumplings and breadfruit and others goat water, so the honest answer is that both are cited and the entry names both. Goat water's dumplings are called droppers, spooned straight into the pot rather than shaped.
🌍
North America. North America's table began with Indigenous foodways, the "three sisters" of corn, beans, and squash, plus chiles, tomatoes, and cacao, then layered on colonial, African, and immigrant influences. From Mexico's UNESCO-recognized cuisine to the Cajun and Creole pots of Louisiana and the fiery jerk of the Caribbean, the region turns ancient staples into something new. Barbecue, tacos, gumbo, and mole all carry stories of migration and adaptation.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Saint Kitts and Nevis
Goat WaterA rich, spiced goat stew thickened with breadfruit or flour and scented with clove and rum, the Saturday pot.
Coconut Sugar CakeChewy pink-and-white coconut candy set in ginger sugar syrup, a nostalgic Saint Kitts and Nevis sweet.
Conch SouseTender boiled conch pickled in a cool, bright broth of lime, onion, cucumber, and scotch bonnet, a St Kitts weekend favorite.
Browse all Saint Kitts and Nevis recipes →
Good to know
Storing it: Stews and braises keep 3 to 4 days refrigerated and often taste better the next day. Reheat gently, adding a splash of water if it has thickened.
Make it a Saint Kitts and Nevis meal
Kittitian SorrelDrink
Coconut Sugar CakeDessert
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Cuisine
Diet
Frequently asked questions
What is Stewed Saltfish with Dumplings?
Salt cod stewed down with tomato, onion, and pepper, served with boiled dumplings and ground provisions, the national breakfast of St. Kitts.
Where does Stewed Saltfish with Dumplings come from?
Stewed Saltfish with Dumplings is a Kittitian dish from Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis.
Can Stewed Saltfish with Dumplings be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Stewed Saltfish with Dumplings recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Stewed Saltfish with Dumplings 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 count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), 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 Stewed Saltfish with Dumplings take to make?
About 50 minutes total (20 minutes prep, 30 minutes cooking), serving 4.
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