Jamaican · main

Run Down (Rundown)

Name: Run Down (Rundown)
Prep time: 35 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Cuisine: Jamaican
Ingredients: 1 1/2 lbs salted mackerel, soaked overnight and flaked; 2 cups coconut milk; 1 medium onion, sliced; 4 scallions, chopped; 3 cloves garlic; 2 medium tomatoes, diced; 1 scotch bonnet pepper; 4 sprigs fresh thyme; 4 allspice berries; 1/2 tsp black pepper

Run Down (Rundown) reads heat 4.7, salinity 4.6 and richness 4.5 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Jamaican main, about 1 hr 5 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 4.9 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 4.1 / 10
Sour & Bright — 2.1 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 1.8 / 10
Rich & Fat — 5.3 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 5.6 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Heat 4.7 · Salinity 4.6 · Richness 4.5 · Allium 4.3 · Sweetness 3.4 · Warm Spice 3.4 · Nutty 3.0 · Herbaceous 2.5 · Umami 2.5 · Fruity 2.3 · Sourness 2.0 · Floral 1.7 · Earthy 1.6 · Bitterness 1.3

What's in it (10)

1 1/2 lbs salted mackerel, soaked overnight and flaked
2 cups coconut milk
1 medium onion, sliced
4 scallions, chopped
3 cloves garlic
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1 scotch bonnet pepper
4 sprigs fresh thyme
4 allspice berries
1/2 tsp black pepper

Time & effort: about 1 hr 5 min (35 min active) · effort: medium

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 98.4 kcal, 2.2 g protein, 6.1 g fat, 16 g carbs

Dietary: Contains dairy — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (3 steps)

Soak the salted fish overnight, then boil briefly, flake, and set aside.
Simmer coconut milk in a wide skillet over medium heat, stirring, until it reduces and the oil separates — this is 'running down' the milk.
Add onion, tomato, scotch bonnet, thyme, and allspice to the coconut oil, cook down to a sauce, then fold in the flaked fish and simmer until creamy and well-seasoned; serve with boiled green bananas or roasted breadfruit.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Baingan Bharta (Fire-Roasted Aubergine) — Indian · Punjab
Cabbage Thoran — Indian · Kerala
Crispy Potato-Paneer Dumplings in Cashew-Tomato Cream Sauce — Indian
Rajma (Red Kidney Beans in Onion and Tomato) — Indian · Punjab
Idli with Thengai Chutney — Indian · Tamil Nadu

Keep reading: what heat, salinity, richness mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.