Equipment
* optional
Ingredients
Pastry Dough
- 400 g all-purpose flour
- 5 g salt
- 5 g turmeric powder
- 200 g unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 120 ml water, ice cold
Saltfish Filling
- 250 g salt cod, dried
- 15 ml vegetable oil
- 100 g yellow onion, finely diced
- 40 g scallions, finely sliced
- 5 g scotch bonnet pepper, seeds removed, minced
- 10 g garlic, minced
- 2 g fresh thyme, picked from stems
- 80 g roma tomato, diced
- 2 g black pepper
Egg Wash
- 1 egg
- 15 ml water
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 327 kcal
- Protein
- 18 g
- Carbohydrates
- 28 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sugar
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 1636 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 9 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 4 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Cholesterol
- 83 mg
- Potassium
- 404 mg
- Calcium
- 54 mg
- Iron
- 1.4 mg
- Magnesium
- 40 mg
- Phosphorus
- 255 mg
- Zinc
- 0.7 mg
- Vitamin A
- 132 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 4 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.9 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 1.1 mg
- Vitamin K
- 9 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.2 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 2.1 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.11 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.09 mg
- Niacin
- 2.0 mg
- Folate
- 20 mcg
- Water
- 36 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Place the salt cod in a large bowl and cover completely with cold water. Soak overnight to draw out the excess curing salt, changing the water at least once during the process.
Drain the soaked salt cod and transfer to a medium pot. Cover with fresh water and bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes. Drain well, then use a fork to actively flake the fish into small pieces, discarding any hidden bones or tough skin.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, salt, and turmeric powder. Add the cold cubed butter and cut it into the flour using a pastry blender or your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs with some pea-sized pieces of butter remaining.
Gradually drizzle the ice cold water into the flour mixture while gently tossing with a fork. Knead lightly just until the dough comes together into a rough ball. Flatten into a disk, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to relax the gluten and chill the butter.
Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the diced onion, minced garlic, scallions, and minced scotch bonnet pepper. Sauté for 3 minutes until the aromatics soften and become highly fragrant.
Add the flaked salt cod, diced tomato, fresh thyme, and black pepper to the skillet. Cook together for 5 minutes, stirring frequently to meld the flavors. Remove the skillet from the heat and allow the filling to cool completely at room temperature for about 15 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 200C/400F. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the chilled dough to an even 3mm thickness. Using a bowl or pastry cutter, punch out circles approximately 12cm in diameter. Re-roll scraps once to cut the remaining circles.
Place about 20 grams (roughly one and a half tablespoons) of the cooled saltfish filling into the center of each dough circle. Fold the dough over to create a half-moon shape. Crimp the edges firmly with the tines of a fork to seal the filling completely inside.
Transfer the sealed patties to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. In a small bowl, beat the egg with the water. Using a pastry brush, lightly coat the top of each patty with the egg wash to encourage browning. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap after handling the raw egg.
Bake the patties at 200C/400F for 20 to 25 minutes until the pastry is puffed, flaky, and golden brown. Ensure the internal temperature of the filling reaches at least 74C/165F. Remove from the oven and let rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before serving.
Chef's Notes
- Salt cod grades vary significantly. Thicker, center-cut fillets yield a meatier texture, while thinner tail pieces can be overly tough and dry out quickly. Adjust your boiling times slightly depending on the thickness of your fish.
- When handling Scotch bonnet peppers, wearing food-safe gloves is highly recommended. The capsaicin oils are powerful and can cause severe burns if they accidentally come into contact with your eyes or face.
- For an authentic vibrant yellow hue in the pastry, you can use Jamaican curry powder instead of turmeric, or a blend of annatto and turmeric. This provides both the classic bakery color and a subtle earthy background flavor.
- If you prefer the fried dough preparation, simply substitute the butter in the dough with lard or vegetable shortening, completely omit the egg wash step, and deep fry the sealed empanadas in oil at 180C/350F until golden brown and blistered.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store in an airtight container once completely cooled.
Freezer: 3 months — Freeze unbaked patties on a tray before transferring to a freezer bag. Bake directly from frozen, adding 5-8 minutes to baking time.
Reheating: Reheat baked patties in an oven at 180C/350F for 8-10 minutes to restore flakiness. Microwaving is not recommended as it ruins the pastry texture.
Troubleshooting
Pastry is tough or dense rather than flaky
Cause: Overworking the dough during mixing and rolling, or the butter became too warm and melted into the flour
Fix: Cannot be fixed once baked.
Prevention: Keep all ingredients, especially butter and water, ice cold. Mix only until the dough just comes together and chill thoroughly before rolling.
Filling is overwhelmingly salty
Cause: The salt cod was not soaked long enough or boiled properly to extract the preserving salt
Fix: Cannot be fixed once assembled, though eating the patties alongside a mild, starchy side dish can balance the palate.
Prevention: Always soak salt cod overnight with fresh cold water, changing the water at least once. Boiling the fish is also essential for extracting remaining salt.
Patties burst open in the oven
Cause: The edges were not sealed securely or the patties were overfilled
Fix: Cosmetic issue mostly; scoop any escaped filling back toward the patty before serving.
Prevention: Ensure you leave a clean border around the filling and press firmly with a fork when crimping the edges. Do not overstuff.
Cultural Context
Salt cod (bacalao) has a deep, complex history in the Caribbean, originally introduced as an affordable, non-perishable protein source during the colonial era. Over the centuries, islanders transformed this humble ingredient into beloved regional staples, infusing it with vibrant local aromatics like Scotch bonnet peppers and fresh thyme. Whether baked as Jamaican-style patties or fried as Hispanic-Caribbean empanadillas, these dough-encased snacks represent a rich culinary synthesis of African, European, and Indigenous foodways.
