Every jar of Charlie's Pickles Saltfish Padda contains two things: a chunky spiced fish spread and a triple-infused oil. They develop together, through the same production process, in the same jar. They taste related but work differently.
Most people spoon out the fish and let the oil drain away. That is a mistake worth correcting.
The Spread
The chunky fish spread is the part most people come for. Saltfish fried to a crisp, then returned to a base of spiced oil with vinegar and sugar. Salty, sweet, sharp, and warm. Spoon it onto rice, eggs, toast, or pasta. A small amount transforms the dish.
The Oil
The oil is what makes Charlie's Pickles a 2-in-1 product. It goes through three distinct rounds of flavour absorption before the jar is sealed.
Round one. The saltfish is fried in the high oleic sunflower oil first. As it fries, the oil absorbs glutamates from the fish and the aromatic compounds produced by the browning process. The fish is removed and set aside. The oil is now carrying the full umami imprint of fried saltfish.
Round two. Into that fish-primed oil goes the spice paste: fresh garlic and fresh ginger, combined with chilli powder and cumin. The spices are not entering plain oil. They are entering oil that already carries the fish's character. The fat-soluble flavour compounds from the garlic, ginger, chilli, and cumin dissolve into a medium that is already umami-deep.
Round three. The fried fish goes back in. The heat goes off. Vinegar and sugar are added. Everything rests together for twenty-four hours, deepening and integrating across a third and final round of absorption.
The oil at the bottom of your jar has been through all three.
It is not packaging. It is a product.
How to use it
Drizzle it over a bowl of rice or noodles.
Use it as the cooking base for stir-fried rice or eggs.
Spoon it over grilled fish or meat as a finishing oil.
Stir a teaspoon through a vinaigrette.
Add a few drops to plain butter and spread it on toast.
Pour it over a soft-boiled egg and pause for a moment.
The oil works wherever a high-quality infused chili oil would work, and goes significantly further — because it carries three rounds of infusion rather than one, with the glutamate depth of fried saltfish behind every drop.
For chefs and kitchen professionals
The oil in Charlie's Pickles is a kitchen tool, not just a condiment.
It works as a finishing drizzle, a cooking medium for high-heat applications (high oleic sunflower oil has a smoke point above 230°C), a flavour base for emulsified sauces, or a marinade component that delivers instant umami depth without added salt.
The standalone Charlie's Pickles pickle oil is available in 100ml retail format and 250ml wholesale format for trade buyers who want the oil as a dedicated kitchen ingredient, separate from the fish spread.
Contact sales@charliespickles.com for trade pricing and availability.
The jar holds more than you think. Use all of it.