Fry-Up Salted Mackerel with Dumplings (Jamaican Sunday Morning Breakfast)

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 In many Jamaican homes, Sunday morning breakfast isn’t rushed. It’s slow, filling, and meant to hold you until afternoon. One of those breakfasts is fry-up salted mackerel, often served with cooked dumplings, ground provisions, and a hot cup of bush or mint tea. It’s simple food, but it carries tradition.

Salted mackerel is different from tin mackerel. It has a firmer texture and a deeper, saltier flavour, which means it needs proper preparation before cooking. Some people boil salted mackerel to remove the salt, but in my experience, even after boiling, the bones can still taste extremely salty. That’s why I prefer to soak the mackerel overnight, changing the water once. This method removes excess salt more evenly and keeps the fish from breaking apart.

Using fresh salted mackerel also makes a big difference. After soaking, cleaning, and slicing, the mackerel fries up nicely and absorbs the seasonings without becoming mushy. You can slice it into chunks like tin mackerel or shred it, depending on your preference.

This fry-up is not about fancy ingredients. Onion, tomato, scallion, pepper, garlic, and a little oil are all you need. Everything cooks gently on low heat, allowing the flavours to come together without burning. Whether you add a little ketchup or keep it plain is completely up to you.

Served with white flour dumplings and a cup of mint tea, this is a classic Jamaican Sunday morning breakfast, simple, satisfying, and straight from a yard kitchen.

Jamaican salted mackerel fry-up cooking in a pan with tomatoes, onions, and sweet peppers

 Recipe Card

Ingredients

  • 1 small salted mackerel, soaked overnight

  • 1 tomato, sliced (seeds removed)

  • 1 small onion, sliced

  • 1 stalk scallion, finely sliced

  • ½ green sweet pepper, sliced

  • 1 clove garlic, sliced

  • Hot pepper, sliced (to taste)

  • 2 teaspoons vegetable oil

  • ½ teaspoon black pepper

  • 1 tablespoon ketchup (optional)

  • 2 tablespoons water (optional, for gravy)

Instructions

  1. Soak salted mackerel overnight, changing the water once.

  2. The next morning, clean the inside of the mackerel and remove the gills from the head.

  3. Pour boiling water over the mackerel, then rinse with tap water.

  4. Slice or shred the mackerel and set aside.

  5. On low heat, add vegetable oil to a frying pan.

  6. Sauté onion, tomato, hot pepper, sweet pepper, garlic, and scallion until translucent.

  7. Add salted mackerel and sprinkle in black pepper.

  8. Add ketchup (if using) and gently combine with a spoon.

  9. Cover and simmer for 2 minutes.

  10. For a gravy-style sauce, add water, cover, and simmer briefly.

  11. Serve hot with cooked dumplings and mint tea.

 Prep Time

15 minutes (plus overnight soaking)

 Cook Time

10 minutes

 Total Time

25 minutes (excluding soaking)

 Nutritional Value (Approximate, per serving)

  • Calories: 280

  • Protein: 22g

  • Fat: 12g

  • Carbohydrates: 10g

  • Sodium: Varies (depends on soaking time)



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