What “Saltfish” means
Saltfish is salted, dried cod. It's soaked or boiled first to remove the salt, then flaked and cooked, most famously in ackee and saltfish, the national dish.
Examples
Mi a soak di saltfish fi ackee an saltfish tomorrow.
I'm soaking the saltfish for ackee and saltfish tomorrow.
How to use it
Everyday food word. Saltfish also goes into rundown, with callaloo, and into fritters.
Where usage varies
In dancehall lyrics and rude jokes, "saltfish" is also crude slang for a woman's private parts, so context matters.
Cultural context
Salted cod reached Jamaica through the Atlantic trade as cheap, long-lasting food for the plantations. Ackee and saltfish is a classic Sunday breakfast with fried dumplings, breadfruit or boiled banana.