Smoked Mackerel Rundown

Recipe from Melissa Thompson

Adapted by Ligaya Mishan

Updated March 26, 2024

  • Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop stylist: Megan Hedgpeth.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
1 hour
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
45 minutes
Rating
4(40)
Comments
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Rundown is only one of many names for this earthy Jamaican stew of fish and vegetables simmered in coconut milk. It's “an easy dish with big rewards,” says Melissa Thompson, a British writer and the author of the “Motherland” cookbook (Interlink Books, 2022). She begins by slackening onions in a pan, followed by garlic, yellow yam, tomatoes and red bell peppers. Spices are half the transformation: ginger, allspice and cumin, built to warm; thyme, with its kiss of camphor; bay leaves for a piney depth. Coconut milk is poured over, and the heat is left to do its work. When the yam turns tender, the fish goes in — in Ms. Thompson’s version, adapted for life in England, smoked mackerel takes the place of more classic salted mackerel — and then the coconut milk gets another 10 minutes to “run down” and thicken to near cream. This dish is also known as dip-dip, because diners traditionally scoop up the stew with the likes of boiled dumplings and, here, green bananas, not yet sweet. —Ligaya Mishan

Featured in: The Pure, Earthy Richness of a Beloved Jamaican Fish Stew

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • Vegetable oil, for frying

  • 1 onion, sliced

  • 7 to 8 ounces yellow yam or pumpkin, peeled, seeded if necessary and chopped

  • 2 tomatoes, chopped

  • 1 red bell pepper, sliced

  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed

  • 1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, finely grated

  • ½ teaspoon ground pimento (allspice)

  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin

  • 3 thyme sprigs, leaves only

  • 1 ⅔ cups coconut milk

  • 2 bay leaves

  • 6 smoked mackerel fillets, skin removed, or 2 (3.5- to 5-ounce) tins smoked mackerel, drained

  • Salt (optional)

  • 2 large green (unripe) bananas (optional)

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

40 grams carbs; 118 milligrams cholesterol; 1360 calories; 65 grams monosaturated fat; 19 grams polyunsaturated fat; 28 grams saturated fat; 120 grams fat; 1 gram trans fat; 6 grams fiber; 1352 milligrams sodium; 36 grams protein; 12 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a large, deep frying pan or skillet with a lid, heat about 1 tablespoon oil over medium. Add the onion and fry, stirring occasionally, until it starts to soften, about 5 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Add the yam, tomatoes, bell pepper, garlic, ginger, pimento, cumin and thyme, and cook, stirring occasionally, another 5 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk and bay leaves, add a splash of water to loosen, then cover and cook down until the yam has softened, 15 to 20 minutes longer.

  3. Step 3

    Remove the lid, stir in the mackerel and cook until the liquid has thickened, about 10 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    To make the optional green bananas, heat a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Cut the ends off of each banana, then cut each banana into 2 or 3 pieces. Add to the water and boil until tender, about 10 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and discard the peel.

  5. Step 5

    Serve the rundown with the boiled green bananas, if desired.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
40 user ratings
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Comments

Amn

In Jamaica and in NYC, we make this with salted mackerel and coconut cream not milk. Not sure who created this recipe, but please make it both ways and decide which one is better.

Fay Watson

This calls for true yellow yam.

glisglis

One of the main points of this dish seems to be the fish. With that said, my interest was piqued by the seasonings and I made a vegan version with smoked tofu and some seaweed salt instead of the smoked makerel. The rundown sauce is delicious, now to look for other ital rundown recipes.

G

Used 4 cans of Trader Joe’s smoked trout and a scotch bonnet pepper. Added salt to taste. Delicious!

kz

Fantastic - used smoked tinned mackerel, plantains, and followed the recipe. The pumpkin cooked faster than 15 min. Highly recommend.

Giovanna

Green bananas, as in very unripe bananas or plantains?

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Credits

Adapted from “Motherland” by Melissa Thompson (Interlink Books, 2022)

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