Retire Early Lifestyle
Retirement; like your parents, but way cooler

In 1991 Billy and Akaisha Kaderli retired at the age of 38. Now, into their 4th decade of this financially independent lifestyle, they invite you to take advantage of their wisdom and experience.

Johnny Cakes

Nevis, West Indies

A humble yet flavorful tribute to the island's history

Billy and Akaisha Kaderli

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Johnny cakes are a beloved traditional food on Nevis Island, reflecting the culinary heritage that blends African, British, and Caribbean influences. 

These cakes are a savory, slightly dense, fried or baked bread made primarily from cornmeal, flour, and local ingredients.

They are a staple in Nevisian cuisine, often enjoyed as a side dish or snack, and are deeply tied to the island's history and daily life.

Enslaved Africans prepared these portable, long-lasting breads for travel or fieldwork. Over time, they became a comfort food handed down from grandmothers' favorite recipes.

Map showing location of Best Buy Grocery

Across the street from Best Buy Grocery is this little bakery selling a few sweets and stacks of Johnny cakes. We had never had one, and since it was typical home style food on the island, we had to try it.

We walked across the street and entered the bakery.

Friendly lady behind the bakery counter

As we entered, this woman welcomed us with her broad smile.

On Nevis, where sugar plantations dominated the economy from the 17th to 19th centuries, Johnny cakes were a practical food for laborers, made from inexpensive, readily available cornmeal.

The introduction of cornmeal to the Caribbean came with European colonization, particularly from the British and American colonies, where corn was a staple crop. On Nevis, Africans adapted these grains into their cooking, creating dishes like Johnny cakes that sustained them through harsh plantation labor.

Johnny cake specials

Pricing on this menu is listed in EC, the currency of Nevis and St. Kitts.

$6EC is just over $3USD, and $7EC is just under $4USD.

Not a bad price to pay for food that touches your ancestry and gives you satisfaction.

Fried Johnny Cakes all in a row

Here you see empty Johnny cakes ready to be filled with contents of your choosing.

They are commonly served with saltfish - which is a salted cod - stewed fish, oxtail stew, or enjoyed plain with butter or cheese.

We asked the amenable server behind the counter what her favorite filling was, and she said "Saltfish."

Ok, then saltfish it is.

Johnny cake stuffed with saltfish

While the traditional recipe remains popular, modern Nevisian cooks sometimes experiment with additions like nutmeg or cinnamon or serve them with innovative toppings like jerk chicken or conch stew.

The texture can vary—some prefer them fluffier with more baking powder, while others like them denser for frying.

But on this day, Billy and I were having a long-established, time-honored lunch of saltfish Johnny cakes as an acknowledgement to Nevis' historical past.

Saltfish inside a Johnny cake

Saltfish’s presence on Nevis dates back to the 17th and 18th centuries, during the height of the British colonial sugar plantation era. Enslaved Africans, who formed the majority of the island’s population, relied on saltfish as a key protein source, traded by European powers like Britain and Portugal. The fish was preserved with salt to withstand long sea voyages and the tropical climate, making it a practical choice for plantation owners to supply laborers.

The fish needs to be desalted before served. So, it is soaked in water for several hours or overnight and then rinsed multiple times to reduce salinity.

Some cooks boil it briefly, changing the water, to further mellow the taste.

Common methods of cooking this saltfish include sautéing with onions, garlic, tomatoes, sweet peppers, and scotch bonnet peppers for a spicy kick, reflecting Caribbean flair. Coconut milk or oil might be added for richness.

It’s typically served with root vegetables like yams, sweet potatoes, or plantains, rice, or Johnny cakes as you see here in this photo. A popular dish is "saltfish and chop-up," where the fish is mixed with a medley of boiled vegetables and spices.

Saltfish on Nevis is a flavorful link to the island’s past, transformed from a survival food into a culinary tradition.

And today we were partaking of that tradition with a Johnny cake filled with saltfish.

Retire Early Lifestyle appeals to a different kind of person – the person who prizes their independence, values their time, and who doesn’t want to mindlessly follow the crowd.

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