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Adrian Forte’s Salted Cod Fried Rice

The Top Chef Canada star, restaurateur and newly minted cookbook author shares the inspiration behind his Jamaican riff on Chinese fried rice

WRITTEN BY Maureen Halushak

IF YOU’RE ABLE TO CONSUME one’s culture, you’re more compassionate to one’s struggle, ” says Adrian Forte, who wears many hats in the food world, including chef, restaurant consultant and Top Chef Canada semifinalist.

We’re talking about salted codfish in particular, which was brought to the Caribbean as part of the transatlantic slave trade and remains a staple in Caribbean cuisine. It has a “complicated history, ” Forte notes in Yawd: Modern Afro-Caribbean Recipes, his first cookbook. (The book shares a name with the wildly popular pop-up he ran in Toronto in 2020.) But Forte also loves salted cod for its “nice, salty, umami flavour” : Right before our interview, he’d just ordered saltfish-and-ackee fritters from a favourite Jamaican joint in Turks and Caicos, where he’s now based.

Forte has been cooking since he was a kid in Kingston, Jamaica; with no nearby restaurants to grab a bite from after school, he and his friends made their own meal deals. “We’d scrimmage our money together, buy ingredients and make a coal stove in my backyard, ” he says. This potluck-style cooking is known in Jamaica as “running a boat, ” with guests bringing over different ingredients and a “captain” taking the lead in preparing the food. By this time, Forte had learned to cook alongside his maternal grandmother. In her kitchen, “music was always blasting, ” he recalls in Yawd, and when she moved to New York, Forte followed. He ended up in Toronto, where he studied culinary arts and began working at restaurants in Canada and beyond.

There are a few classic recipes in Yawd—Saltfish and Ackee Fritters and Red Kidney Bean Stew among them—but Forte’s focus is new takes on Jamaican flavours, like Oxtail Nachos, Jerk Marinated Coq au Vin or Rum-Soaked Chicken (the audition dish that clinched him a spot on Top Chef ). Like those after-school cook-ups, Forte’s Salted Cod Fried Rice was born of necessity: He was craving Chinese fried rice, a dish rooted in the same useit-all-up ethos he grew up with, and had some leftover rice and salted cod in the fridge. Fifteen minutes later, he had dinner—and another signature Caribbean remix recipe to share.

Salted Cod Fried Rice PREP 15 MIN; TOTAL 25 MIN

SERVES 4 While in Turks, I was really craving Chinese food, but there wasn ’t any, so I had to figure out something with the ingredients on hand. I had salted cod and everything to make fried rice, and so my version of Caribbean fried rice was born.

1 tbsp unsalted butter 1 egg 1 cup medium-diced onions 1 cup medium-diced tomatoes ½ cup cubed carrots ½ cup green peas 1 tsp Scotch Bonnet Paste (see recipe, opposite page) 1 cup soaked and shredded salted cod 3 cups cooked rice, chilled ½ tsp sazón seasoning ½ tsp coconut oil 1 tbsp Knorr calamansi liquid seasoning (optional)

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste Chopped scallions, for serving 1. Heat a large skillet (cast iron works great) on medium-high heat. Melt the butter in the pan, then crack in the egg and scramble it, breaking it into small pieces as you go. Transfer to a plate and set aside. 2. Return the pan to the heat and sauté the onions, tomatoes, carrots, peas and scotch bonnet paste until the vegetables are soft and cooked, about 5 min. 3. Turn up the heat to high and add the salted cod. Mix well and cook until all the liquid has reduced. 4. Add the chilled rice, sazón and Knorr calamansi liquid seasoning (if using) and stir to combine with the fish and veggies. Continue sautéing the rice, stirring every 15 to 20 sec or so, for 3 min or until you notice the rice and veggies starting to brown slightly and become crispy. 5. Stir in your scrambled egg, give the rice a taste and adjust the seasoning with black pepper if necessary. 6. Remove from heat, plate up and serve! Add scallions to garnish. Kitchen tip Calamansi seasoning has a sour, citrusy flavour and can be found in Caribbean and Filipino grocery stores.

SCOTCH BONNET PASTE

Combine 10 chopped pickled scotch bonnet peppers (see recipe, below), 1 chopped large white onion, 1 chopped small carrot, 5 minced cloves of garlic, ½ cup apple cider vinegar and 1 tbsp smoked paprika in a blender or food processor. Purée until the paste is smooth and lump-free. Transfer to a sterilized jar, seal and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

PICKLED SCOTCH BONNET PEPPERS

Combine 1 cup water, 1 cup apple cider vinegar, 1 tbsp pickling salt or table salt, ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes, 4 smashed garlic cloves and 2 tsp dill seeds in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Place 3 cups scotch bonnet peppers in a sterilized 16-oz mason jar. Pour the brine over the peppers, filling the jar to within ¼ inch of the top. Seal with the lid and store for up to 3 months. Once opened, use within 6 weeks.