Recipe
🥙 LUNCH
Saltfish Buljol
A bright Vincentian salt cod salad: flaked saltfish tossed raw with tomato, onion, sweet pepper, cucumber, and hot pepper, sharp with lime and eaten with bakes.
Vincentian · easy · serves 4
prep 20 min · cook 15 min
~117 cal · 17g protein · 10g carbs · 1g fat · 2g fiber · 4g sugars · 0g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Buljol is a beloved salt cod dish of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, a bright, uncooked toss of soaked and flaked saltfish with tomato, onion, sweet pepper, cucumber, and fiery bird pepper, dressed with lime and oil. Its name comes from the French brûle-gueule, "burn mouth," a nod to the hot pepper that gives it its kick.
It is most often a breakfast, though it makes an easy light lunch or dinner too. The salt cod is soaked and boiled to draw out the salt, then broken into flakes and simply combined with the crunchy raw vegetables so everything stays fresh and vivid; no extra salt is needed because the fish carries its own.
Vincentians eat buljol scooped up with coconut bake (fried or baked dough), roti, or bread, the soft starch balancing the salty, tangy, peppery fish. It is quick, refreshing, and quintessentially Caribbean.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally gluten-, 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 4
12 oz boneless salt cod (saltfish)
1 large tomato, diced
1 onion, finely chopped
1 sweet bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cucumber, diced
2 , sliced
1/2 hot pepper (bird or ), finely diced
1 tsp fresh thyme
1 lime, juiced
2 tbsp olive oil
to taste black pepper
Instructions
1
Soak the salt cod a few hours (or overnight), then boil in fresh water for 10 to 15 minutes to draw out the salt. Drain, rinse in cold water, and flake finely, removing any bones.
✎ Chef’s note
Taste a flake before mixing; if it is still very salty, cover with fresh boiling water once more. No extra salt goes into buljol, as the fish carries its own.
2
In a bowl, combine the tomato, onion, sweet pepper, cucumber, scallions, hot pepper, and thyme.
3
Add the flaked saltfish and toss gently to combine without breaking the vegetables down.
4
Dress with the lime juice and olive oil and season with black pepper, tossing again.
5
Let it sit a few minutes for the flavours to meld, then serve with coconut bake, bread, or roti.
Kingstown breakfast tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Kingstown. Kingstown breakfasts on roasted breadfruit with fried jackfish, the national dish of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Its Creole kitchen leans on ground provisions, callaloo, saltfish, and coconut, with pepper sauce always at hand.
🗺️
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Roasted breadfruit and fried jackfish is the officially named national dish, and the breadfruit is roasted whole over a fire until the skin blackens, then peeled and sliced. Ground provisions, dasheen, yam, eddoes and green banana, do the work of a starch across the rest of the week, and callaloo and coconut fill in the rest.
🌍
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 Vincent and the Grenadines
Roast Breadfruit and Fried JackfishThe national dish of St. Vincent: fire-roasted breadfruit with seasoned fried jackfish and a tomato sauce.
Fried Bakes and SaltfishSautéed salt cod with onion, tomato, and pepper tucked into hot fried bakes, the everyday breakfast of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
DuckanooSweet spiced cornmeal and coconut tied in banana leaves and boiled, a West African legacy sweet of Saint Vincent.
Browse all Saint Vincent and the Grenadines recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Oven.
Storing it: Best assembled just before serving. Prep the components ahead and dress at the last moment so it stays crisp.
Make it a Saint Vincent and the Grenadines meal
Peanut PunchDrink
DuckanooDessert
Vincentian Fish BlaffDinner
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Frequently asked questions
What is Saltfish Buljol?
A bright Vincentian salt cod salad: flaked saltfish tossed raw with tomato, onion, sweet pepper, cucumber, and hot pepper, sharp with lime and eaten with bakes.
Where does Saltfish Buljol come from?
Saltfish Buljol is a Vincentian dish from Kingstown, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Can Saltfish Buljol be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Saltfish Buljol 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 Saltfish Buljol 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 Saltfish Buljol take to make?
About 35 minutes total (20 minutes prep, 15 minutes cooking), serving 4.
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