Coconut Bake with Saltfish Buljol

⏱ 95 min · Serves 6

A Trinidadian weekend classic: a soft, faintly sweet coconut bread pulled hot from the oven and split open to take a heap of cool, lime-sharp saltfish buljol. Salt, coconut, tomato and a whisper of chilli — breakfast worth getting up for.

Per serving: 615 kcal · 32.0g protein · 66.0g carbs · 25.0g fat

Ingredients

• For the coconut bake:
• 450g plain flour
• 100g desiccated coconut (or freshly grated)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• 50g cold butter, cubed
• 250ml coconut milk, slightly warmed
• 2-4 tbsp warm water, as needed
• 1 tsp butter, melted, for brushing
• For the saltfish buljol:
• 350g salted cod (boneless)
• 3 ripe tomatoes, deseeded and diced
• 1 small red onion, finely diced
• 3 spring onions, finely sliced
• 1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced
• 1 clove garlic, grated
• 1/2 scotch bonnet, deseeded and very finely chopped (to taste)
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander or chadon beni
• Juice of 1 lime
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• Black pepper, to taste
• 1 avocado, sliced, to serve (optional)
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, quartered (optional)

Method

1. Put the saltfish in a pan, cover generously with cold water, bring to the boil and simmer 15 minutes. Drain, cover with fresh water, boil 10 minutes more, then drain and cool. Taste a flake — if still too salty, repeat once.
2. Flake the cooled fish finely with your fingers, discarding any skin or bones. Set aside.
3. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan. Whisk the flour, coconut, baking powder, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Rub in the cold butter until it looks like coarse sand.
4. Pour in the warm coconut milk and mix to a soft dough, adding water a tablespoon at a time if dry. Knead on a floured surface for 3-4 minutes until smooth, then rest, covered, for 20 minutes.
5. Shape into a round about 22cm across and 2.5cm thick. Place on a lined baking tray, prick all over with a fork and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden and hollow-sounding underneath. Brush with melted butter and cool slightly under a clean tea towel.
6. Meanwhile, make the buljol: combine the flaked fish, tomatoes, red onion, spring onions, pepper, garlic, scotch bonnet and coriander in a bowl.
7. Dress with the lime juice and olive oil, season with black pepper and toss well. Let it sit 15 minutes for the flavours to marry — taste and add more lime if needed.
8. Split or tear the warm bake into wedges and open them up. Pile in the buljol and serve with avocado and hard-boiled egg alongside.