Caribbean

Serving

Jamaican Rundown

Name: Jamaican Rundown
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Caribbean
Ingredients: 1 1/2 lbs snapper or mackerel fillets, cut into chunks; 2 (13.5 oz) cans full-fat coconut milk; 1 large yellow onion, sliced; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 2 medium tomatoes, diced; 1 Scotch bonnet pepper, left whole; 3 sprigs fresh thyme; 2 scallions, chopped; 1 tsp ground allspice and 1 tsp salt; Juice of 1 lime

A rich Jamaican dish of fish or mackerel braised down in reduced, spiced coconut milk until thick and creamy.

50 minutes

Serves 4

Dinner

18 min prep

28 min cook

Contains common allergens

Fish Seafood

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Good to know

One-pot

Matched from this dish's own ingredients and timing. Browse more: one-pot dinners

Instructions

5 steps

1
Rub the fish chunks with the lime juice and a pinch of salt, then set aside to marinate while you prepare the sauce.
2
Pour the coconut milk into a wide pot and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, then simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until it reduces, separates, and forms a thick, oily custard known as the "rundown."
3
Add the onion, garlic, tomatoes, thyme, scallions, allspice, and the whole Scotch bonnet to the reduced coconut base and cook for 5 minutes until the vegetables soften.
4
Gently nestle the fish into the sauce, cover, and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes until the fish is opaque and flakes easily, basting it with the sauce occasionally.
5
Discard the whole Scotch bonnet, adjust salt to taste, and serve hot with boiled green bananas, dumplings, or rice.

Jamaican Rundown — plated and served — Serving moment. How Jamaican Rundown looks plated and ready to eat — a representative photo, not a step in the recipe.

Listahan Family Score™

61/100

Works for many families

Allergen-friendly 80

Kid-friendly 27

Weeknight-easy 54

Budget-friendly 72

Great leftovers 87

Pantry-friendly 48

Score reflects how well this recipe fits a typical busy household. In the app, your Family Score is personalized to your household's allergens, kids, and pantry.

Nutrition

per serving

380

Calories

34 g

Protein

7 g

Carbs

24 g

Fat

Estimated per serving. Actual values depend on the brands and portions you use.

Listahan cooking guide

Chef notes & practical guide

Technique notes, ingredient swaps, serve-alongside ideas, storage guidance, and equipment for this recipe.

Cultural context

Rundown, also called run-dun, is a Jamaican coastal dish built on the technique of cooking coconut milk down until it breaks into a rich, oily custard. Fishermen used it to preserve and stretch the catch, simmering salted or fresh fish in the reduced coconut base; the name refers to the milk being run down to that thick, almost curdled stage.

Listahan note

This version insists on simmering the coconut milk a full 15 to 20 minutes until it visibly separates into oil and custard before any vegetables go in, because that reduction is the dish, not a shortcut. It adds the fish last and only poaches it 10 to 12 minutes so the snapper stays in flakes rather than dissolving.

Technique cues

The coconut milk must reduce until it separates and turns oily; this 'cut' stage is what gives rundown its signature body and is worth stirring frequently to reach.
Leaving the Scotch bonnet whole infuses the sauce with its floral heat and aroma without releasing the raw capsaicin that breaking the pod would unleash.
Marinating the fish in lime juice and salt firms its surface so the chunks hold together when nestled into the hot custard.

Kitchen flow

Parallel prep: Marinate the fish in lime while the coconut milk reduces, since both take a similar window.
Make-ahead: Reduce the coconut base and build the vegetable sauce ahead, then poach fresh fish just before serving.
Leftover move: Flake leftover fish and sauce over boiled green bananas for a quick next-day breakfast.
Cleanup rhythm: Soak the wide pot right away because the reduced coconut oil sets into a film as it cools.

Ingredient brief

Role, handling, and swap guidance for each key ingredient.

snapper or mackerel fillets

Main protein

Purpose: Firm-fleshed fish survives the coconut poach and flakes cleanly into the rich sauce.

Handling: Cut into even chunks and rub with lime and salt so they firm before cooking.

Adaptation: Cod or kingfish work; oilier mackerel gives a more traditional, robust flavor.

full-fat coconut milk

Braising base

Purpose: It is the entire foundation, reducing into the oily custard that defines rundown.

Handling: Use full-fat cans and let it boil down undisturbed enough to separate, stirring to prevent scorching.

Adaptation: No real substitute; light coconut milk will not break properly and gives a thin sauce.

Scotch bonnet pepper

Aromatic heat

Purpose: Its fruity heat is central to Jamaican flavor and perfumes the sauce when left whole.

Handling: Leave it whole and unpierced, then fish it out before serving to control the burn.

Adaptation: A habanero is the closest match; a milder cook can use half a pepper.

ground allspice

Warm spice

Purpose: Allspice, native to Jamaica, gives the warm clove-cinnamon backbone the dish is known for.

Handling: Add it with the vegetables so it toasts briefly in the coconut oil before the fish.

Adaptation: A pinch each of cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove approximates it if you have no allspice.

fresh thyme

Herb anchor

Purpose: Thyme is the standard Jamaican aromatic and stands up to the long coconut simmer.

Handling: Add the sprigs whole so you can pull the stems out after cooking.

Adaptation: Dried thyme works at one-third the amount, added with the vegetables.

Technique notes

Watch for the moment the coconut milk's surface turns glossy and oil pools at the edges; that visual cue means the base is ready.
Baste the fish with sauce instead of stirring the pot so the chunks stay intact while they poach.
If the sauce reduces too thick after the fish cooks, loosen it with a splash of water rather than more coconut milk.

Ingredient swaps

Seafood-free direction: This dish is built on fish; omitting it leaves only the coconut sauce, which can instead dress firm tofu or root vegetables.
Dairy-free note: The richness here comes from coconut milk rather than a dairy product.
Lower-heat direction: Use half a Scotch bonnet or a milder jalapeno to keep the floral note without the full burn.

Serve alongside

Boiled green bananas
Jamaican boiled dumplings
Steamed white rice
Festival (sweet fried dumplings)
Ginger beer
Sorrel (hibiscus) drink
Coconut water

Serving suggestions only — check pairings for your household's allergens.

Storage & reheating

Refrigerate in a covered container for up to 2 days since the fish is delicate.
Reheat gently over low heat, basting rather than stirring to keep the fish whole.
Freezing is not recommended; the coconut sauce can separate further and the fish turns mealy.

Equipment

Wide heavy pot
Wooden spoon for stirring the reducing milk
Fish spatula for nestling the chunks
Microplane or fine knife for garlic

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