Green Banana Salad a.k.a Green Fig Salad Recipe

Green Banana Salad - A St. Lucian Favourite

I grew up in St. Vincent and came from a family that grew bananas as their source of income. As children we had to help carrying the banana suckers (banana plants) to the garden after harvesting. Bananas are known as green gold for the island of St. Vincent. 

There are so many dishes you can do with Banana and St. Lucia has taken pride in having their own Green Banana Salad.  My uncle's wife was living in St. Vincent after they got married and she always made this dish.  St. Lucians are very proud of this dish and it is a must have when visiting the island.  It is delightful and tasty.  It is very similar like potato salad.  It also has a very creamy texture, mixed in with the cooked banana combined with the bits of salted cod and the slight herbal elements was just heavenly and perfect.

You’ll Need…

5 green cooking Bananas (green fig)
3 scallions
1 cup diced red bell pepper
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 clove garlic
1 cup shredded saltfish (salted cod – prepared)
1 tablespoon parsley
1 tablespoon celery
1 sprig thyme

Additionally you can add 1 small can of peas and carrot (rinsed and drained),  1 can sweet corn, pineapple chunks, 1 seasoning pepper (pimento) and a bit more mayo if you like it more creamy.  You also have the option of adding the fresh seasonings to the cooked bananas without sauteing it.

The first step is to trim and boil the cooking bananas. If you’re using freshly harvested bananas you will encounter a sort of sap, this stains badly so it might be good to use gloves or coat your hands with a bit of vegetable oil to form a protective barrier and try not to get it on your clothes. Trim off the stems on both sides, then run a cut down the body of each banana (the depth of the thickness of the skin), cover with water in a deep pan and bring to a boil. Cook on a rolling boil for about 15 minutes in salted water. To know if it is properly cooked, try inserting a knife in the skin while boiling, if it goes in easily without any hesitation, you know your bananas are ready.  Note that the bananas will go discoloured – totally natural. The cut we made will open up and allow for easy removal of the skin. Allow to cool to handle (drain).. then dice.

To prepare the salted cod, put it in boiling water to remove most of the salt it was cured in. 

Flake it, remove bones, then set it aside.  You also have the option to use boned cod as it is a lot less work and most bones would have been removed.  You should still double check to be sure. Next, dice the garlic and bell pepper, then chop the scallions and parsley and remove the thyme off the stem.

Place a non stick pan on a medium flame and add the olive oil. Then add the scallion, garlic, thyme, black pepper, cod bits and bell pepper. Turn the heat down to low and let it gently cook for 3 minutes. Turn off the heat, add the parsley and let it cool.

In a large bowl place the diced (cooked) green banana, then top with the flavor ingredients (which should be cool now) and then add the mayonnaise. Mix well to ensure everything that everything gets coated and is combined properly. NOTE: if you have access to seasoning peppers (pimento peppers) add a couple… Trinidadians love adding pimentos to their food for additional flavouring.

Put dish in the fridge to chill for a bit.  There may be no need to add anymore salt because the codfish  should add the extra salt needed for the dish.  You are free to add extra salt if it is not salt enough for you. IMPORTANT: Always try to remember to leave salad chilled because there is mayonnaise in it.

Recipe adapted from: www.caribbeanpot.com Green Fig Recipe.