(I’m feeding you food, but I’m also feeding you grammar today–check out my Hollaback Health post today for a light and spicy lesson on the correct usage of “me” vs. “I”–because there’s only room for one of them up in this joint!)

I love both those things… probably because I’m Caribbean and therefore I can’t help it (much as I can’t help the irregular light that sends me out of doors for food shots):

But… I’ve also been going through an extremely kitchen-lazy phase, and even though boiling two pots of water and tossing the resulting boiled stuff in vinaigrette is hardly a time-consuming exercise, the thought of dealing with two pots of stuff at once sends me hurtling towards jacket potato territory (you know, the kind of recipe where you shove something in the oven and forget about until it’s done).

However, I realized that I should not let my ill-placed silliness keep me from eating what I really, really wanted to eat on Thursday, so I put on my big girl shorts and got the two pots boiling.  Silly me–this recipe (if you can call it that) is so easy, and so good, I should be ashamed of myself.

I get green bananas anywhere; lots of US supermarkets are now carrying a wider range of vegetables (sometimes under the “ethnic foods” or “foods from around the world” moniker).  If you can’t find the green bananas (also called “green figs”), you can replace them with potatoes or any other similar bland root vegetable.

This is what they look like in the pot (because I was hungry and didn’t photograph them pre-pot):

As for the salt fish…  Same goes–lots of supermarkets carry it in the frozen section, ethnic foods area, or refrigerated section.  It will probably come in a little bag, like so:

If you can’t find it, you can also make this with smoked fish; I’ve made something similar with mackarel and though it’s not the same, it’s still very, very good.

Ready?

Round up your ingredients:

• 1/2 pound boneless salt fish (cod, pollock), rinsed
• 3-4 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 pound green bananas (green figs)
• Swig of olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. oregano
• 1 Tbsp. parsley, finely chopped (optional)
• 1-2 scallions, sliced (I chop these with scissors), or a sprinkling of sliced red onion–I had neither, so these are optional
• Olive oil
• Vinegar (red wine or cider)
• Black pepper to taste

Now, get your cook on:

• Get a large pot of water on to boil (for the bananas) and a smaller one (for the saltfish).
• Slice the bananas off their stem, carefully avoiding the juices they release (they are sticky and they stain like a mofo), and add these to the pot.
• Bring to the boil and cook for about 30 minutes. (until bananas are softened and cooked through–check by slicing one open).
• Meanwhile, put the rinsed codfish in the smaller pot and bring to the boil; turn off the heat as soon as it comes to the boil and let it sit for about five minutes, then drain and rinse thoroughly.  Don’t let it boil, though–my aunts say this makes the salftish tough and, after doing it their way, I have to agree. If it’s still mouth-puckeringly salty, repeat this step.  Flake into smaller chunks (if you bought large chunks) or leave it be (if you got very small bits).
• When the bananas are done (check them by peeling one and slicing it open), drain and rinse them.  Let those bad boys cool–I mean it (they will be HOT).
• When the bananas are cool enough to handle safely, peel them and chop them roughly.
• In a small separate bowl, toss together the olive oil, vinegar, black pepper, and oregano.
• Toss the bananas, saltfish, and tomatoes together; toss with the dressing.
• Hook yourself up with a plate of Caribbean goodness, either as it is or on a bed of greens (which I didn’t have):