“Recently I rediscovered my love for buljol. It’s a Tobagonian dish, really lovely and fresh. I add aioli to it and serve it with fried bakes, which is the world’s easiest bread to make. It’s lazy man bread: if you knead it too much, it doesn’t work.”
– Shivi Ramoutar, food writer, London
Note:
The salt cod needs to be soaked for at least 12 hours.
Serves 4-6
INGREDIENTS
Buljol:
750g salt cod, or other salt fish
2 spring onions, bulb removed and finely chopped
2 large vine tomatoes, de-seeded and finely chopped
1 yellow (or orange) pepper, finely diced
2 tsp chives, finely chopped
3 tsp fresh lime juice
½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 ripe avocado, thinly sliced
Aioli:
4 heaped tbsp mayonnaise
4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
2-4 tsp hot pepper sauce (or 1 finely chopped chilli)
½ tsp paprika
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Fried bakes:
360g self-raising flour, sifted
A good pinch of salt
20g butter, at room temperature
150-200ml water
A little rapeseed oil, for coating
Groundnut oil, for frying
METHOD
To make the buljol and aioli:
Submerge the salt cod in water and soak for 12 hours, or overnight, changing the water five to six times.
Rinse the salt cod and submerge in fresh, cold water in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat, drain the boiled water, add new cold water and bring to the boil again. As soon as the water starts to boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about 5-10 minutes, until the salt cod is cooked through. Drain the water and set the salt cod aside to cool.
When the salt cod is cool enough to handle, flake the meat into a bowl, discarding pin bones and skin. Use two forks to go over the fish, flaking it finely.
Gently but thoroughly incorporate the spring onion, tomato and pepper, then add the chives and lime juice and olive oil and season to taste.
To make the aioli thoroughly combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary.
To serve, slice open the fried bakes (see below), spread liberally with the aioli, stuff with the salt cod mixture, and top with slices of avocado.
To make the fried bakes:
In a large bowl whisk together the flour and salt, then use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour, until well incorporated. Mixing with a spoon, add the water gradually (you may not need to use it all) until a dough forms.
Tip the dough out onto a floured surface, rub your hands with a little oil and knead, for about a minute or so, until smooth. Pour a drop of oil onto your palm and coat the dough. Cover in cling film and leave it to rest for 30 minutes in a warm place.
Return the dough to a floured surface and knead a few more times. Divide into 6 balls and flatten each into a palm-sized circle. Use your fingertips to coat the top of each ball with a little oil.
Pour the groundnut oil into a large wok, or high-sided saucepan, so that it comes halfway up. (If using a deep-fat fryer, follow the manufacturer’s guidelines.) Heat the oil to 180C: when you pop a breadcrumb in it should sizzle and turn golden brown almost immediately. Line a large plate with kitchen paper and set this down near the pan.
Pop the raw bakes into the hot oil, two tor three at a time, depending on the size of your wok and fry them for about 30 seconds to a minute, until they start to puff up. Flip over and fry for another 30 seconds to a minute. Continue to flip them over and cook until they are golden and puffy on both sides. Remove with a slotted spoon and place onto the kitchen roll lined plate to soak up any excess oil. Serve immediately.