Jamaica Recipes

Try cooking Jamaican-style

Jamaica Recipes - Its funny how you don't think of how many different recipes that have passed through your kitchen until you decided to write a page about Jamaican Recipes.  

Although my recipes are not always 100% authentic Jamaican, based on dual cultures, I have tried to focus on the Jamaican side of my culture and have kept  the recipes on this page simple and 100% Jamaican.

Jamaica Recipes - Brown Stew Fish 

If you love lots of gravy, then brown stewed fish is the choice for you.  Here is my brown stew fish recipe.  If not, just leave the gravy in the pan when you serve.

Jamaica Recipes - Method

1. Prepare fish for cooking  - clean and wash
2. Mix flour and black pepper and salt on flat surface and slightly flour fish on both sides
3. Heat oil in saucepan and lightly fry fish (seal) on both sides and remove from pan
4. Drain used oil from frying pan leaving about two tablespoons
5. Cut/dice vegetables except pepper and sauté for  5/8 minutes 
6. Add cup of water or fish stock and gravy browning and leave to simmer for five minutes.
7. Return lightly fried/sealed fish to the pan 
8. Cover and leave to simmer on low heat until the fish is cooked – 10-15 mins

More on Jamaica Recipes

Jamaican Recipes  - Steamed Fish 

• 4-6 medium whole snappers or your fish of choice
• 2 onions
• Sprig of thyme
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 small carrots
• 2 sweet peppers
• 2 oz (60g) butter
• 2 oz (125ml) coconut oil or oil of choice
• 2 tomatoes
• 2 stalks of scallion
• 1 whole hot pepper (scotch bonnet)
• 8 oz ochroes  or other green vegetable
• 1 teaspoon of ground pimento
• 8 oz (230g) coconut milk
• Salt to taste

Method

1. Clean and prepare fish with a little lime juice
2. Stir fry onions, scallion thyme and all vegetables in coconut oil for a few mins
3. Add coconut milk and allow vegetables to cook for 5 mins.
4. Add fish, and baste with with liquid and vegetables
5. Add ground pimento  for extra flavour, if available - optional
6. Add whole pepper, cover and allow to simmer on low heat for 15 mins
7. Baste fish with contents of pan while cooking
8. Add a little water if necessary
9. Remove whole pepper before serving

Jamaica Recipes - Cream of Pumpkin Soup 

Ingredients:

• 2lb pumpkin
• 2 tablespoon butter
• 8 oz (230g) potatoes (Irish potatoes)
• 1 onion 
• 2 sprigs of Thyme
• 2 oz (60g) butter
• 1 clove garlic
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 small scotch bonnet pepper
• 1 cup (250ml) of coconut milk/or regular milk
• 2 pints (1.1l) Water

 
Method

1. Cut pumpkin into small pieces and wash – peel is optional
2. Peel and wash potatoes and cut in small pieces
3. Put pumpkin and potatoes in saucepan with salt to taste and whole pepper, cover with water and cook on medium heat.
4. When cooked crush pumpkin and potato (add more water if required)
5. Add thyme, crushed garlic, chopped onion, whole pepper, black pepper  milk and butter.  Test if additional salt is required
6. Leave to simmer for 15 mins 
7. Leave to cool 
8. Once cooled puree contents of pan in blender in stages then return to saucepan
9. Reheat on low heat and serve – (do not allow to boil)

Jamaica Recipes - Pepper Pot (Callaloo) Soup

Ingredients 

• 2 lb ( (0.9kg) of callaloo
• 1/2  lb (230g) kale (optional)
• 1 dozen ochroes
• Half pound (230g) yellow yam
• 2 Cho chos (carrots will work too)
• 4 quarts (2.0L) water
• 4 oz (250ml) coconut milk
• 2 lbs (0.9kg) stewing beef
• 1 green scotch bonnet pepper
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 stalks scallion
• Sprig of Thyme
• 8 oz  (230g) flour
• Salt to taste

 
Method

1. Cut meat into small cubes and cook until tender – 60-80 mins
2. Or pressure cook meat for 25/30 mins to shorten cooking time.
3. Wash callaloo and kale and when the meat is cooked add to stock
4. Leave to cook for a further 15 mins.
5. Remove callaloo from stock and puree in blender and leave to stand
6. Peel yam and cho cho and cut into small bite-size pieces 
7. Cut ochros into small pieces also
8. Add chopped yam, cho cho and ochro and whole green pepper to stock
9. Make dumplings/spinners and add to stock together with pureed callaloo and kale
10. Leave to simmer for about 30/40 mins until soup thickens.
11. When you are ready to serve add coconut milk, scallion and thyme and cook for a further 10 mins on low heat.
12. Remove whole pepper
13. Serve Hot

Jamaica Recipes -  Salt Fish Fritters

Ingredients:

• 8 oz (230g) salt fish
• 8 oz (230g) plain flour
• 2-3 onions
• 2-3 tomatoes
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 small hot pepper (Jamaican scotch bonnet)
• Black pepper to taste
• 2 stalks scallion
• 2 tablespoon cooking oil
• 1 teaspoon baking powder (omit if using self raising flour)

Method

1. Soak codfish overnight.  Drain and rinse under cold water.
2. If still too salty, bring to the boil for a few minutes
3. Flake cooled fish and remove all bones
4. Chop tomatoes, onions, garlic scallion and pepper or blend together
5. Add baking power to flour and mix in blended or chopped ingredients
6. Add a little water or milk if necessary to make a medium batter
7. Fry by tablespoon droplets in deep hot oil until golden brown
8. Place on kitchen roll to absorb excess oil.
9. Serve hot or cold as a snack or as finger food.

Gungo Peas Soup with Ham Bone Recipe

Method

Pour water into a large pot and put to boil

1. Cut ham bone into three or four pieces, rinse and place in the boiling water and
2. leave to boil for 20 minutes
3. Stir in Grace Coconut Milk, drained Grace Gungo Peas and crushed garlic
4. Peel and cube yellow yam, potato and sweet potato and add to the boiling mixture.

Make dumplings  

1. Mix together flour and salt.  Add water and knead to form smooth dough.
2. Shape into small dumplings and add to boiling mixture.
3. Add Grace Cock Soup, scallion, thyme, scotch bonnet pepper and pimento berries.
4. Stir, cover and leave to simmer for 20 minutes.
5. Serve hot

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