It’s very rare you’ll find someone from the Islands who don’t enjoy great seafood, it’s just natural I think. Fried, grilled, stewed, curry, oven-baked, fire-roasted and in stews like this one, we’ve got so many ways to enjoy the bounty of the Caribbean Sea. Yea we even do ceviche too! Here’s one of my favorite…
While this dish is not part of my childhood growing up on the islands, I did have something similar in the French Speaking Caribbean (don’t recall which island at the moment) and it’s something I try to make whenever I have fresh off the vine tomatoes from my garden. The sauce is something you need…
The biggest PUNCH of flavor you can do to any dish, is to rock it Masala style! We’ve done fiery geera shrimp, curry shrimp with potato and curry shrimp in the past, however this version is my ultimate favorite. Quick seasoning, develop that rich masala base and quickly cook the shrimp in the deliciousness. You’ll…
Hot on the heels of the Caribbean Compound Butter recipe I shared a couple days back, here’s the amazing shrimp recipe I promised. Succulent shrimp with deep flavors of butter and the Caribbean. WARNING! …your family and friends will DEMAND you make on the regular. Take the glory, Uncle Chrs doh mind. You’ll Need… 1…
Here’s another classic recipe with a slightly different take. Traditional ‘Broff” is usually made with fish, but more-so fish heads (ocean fish). Unlike our thick and heavy Caribbean Soups, this broff (broth) is supposed to be lighter in consistency and textures, and meant to be a cure for hangovers. My uncle was exceptional at making fish broff, especially on a Monday after a weekend of too many adult beverages.I do credit him for my broff making skills and for always allowing me to be part of the prep and cooking.
This is a re-do of a recipe I shared a few years back, but with closer attention you’ll notice that the technique is a bit different. Somewhat a perfected recipe based on repetition and tweaking. Still trying to find that elusive way my mom (and I have watched her do it too) and her mom before her would prepare their curry shrimp with potato. In all honesty my grandma would over-cook the shrimp (typical Caribbean way of cooking), but the taste was supreme (as I remembered).
Not until my adult years have I started appreciating geera (aka cumin) and even today I use it in a handful of dishes. The lovely smokey flavors works well with the kick from the peppers in this dish and the fact that we’ll be using shrimp means you’ll be done in under 10 minutes. This recipe is based on the classic Caribbean recipe for Geera Pork, a hit when enjoying some adult beverages in bars (rum shops) across the Southern Caribbean.
This past summer I finally got around to growing bitter melon (Carilie) successfully.. and if you’ve been a fan for a while you’ll know that it’s one of those ingredients I’ve disliked from the time I entered this world. If you’re wondering why I grew them in my garden, I guess I have two reasons. I wanted to prove I could do so in a cold climate like Canada where our growing seasoning is short and I know how much my mom and dad loves Carilie.
While we’re lucky to have an abundance of fresh shrimp directly out of the Caribbean Sea and to our door in most cases, I don’t ever recall ever having Shrimp Cocktail growing up on the islands. However it’s a norm now when I go back back and hit the restaurant and bar scene during my travels across the region. Plump juice shrimp dipped in a thick cocktail sauce is definitely “my thing”. And I say my thing as this is not your ordinary ketchup + horseradish + Worcestershire… kinda sauce, as you’re about to learn.
As promised when we made that wicked Green Scotch Bonnet Pesto, here’s the shrimp dish you’ll want to give a test-drive. The natural sweetness of the shrimp is a good balance for the fiery scotch bonnet pesto and by keep the shell on the shrimp.. we’ll have them remain plump and juicy. As mentioned when we…
We’ve already talked about the differences between Jamaican Callaloo (a plant) and Callalloo from the Southern Caribbean (a soup) and we’ve also looked at traditional recipes as well as recipes based on what’s available in your country. In today Callaloo recipe we won’t be using the traditional baby dasheen (taro) leaves, but baby spinach and the base flavor will come from shrimp and not the traditional crabs or salted meats. Hopefully this prevents the “that’s not callaloo” comments.
Jerk Shrimp is definitely one of my favorite ways to cook/enjoy shrimp. And while the flavors you get from cooking jerk shrimp over a glowing coals fire is the preferred method, this stove-top method is arguably just as tasty. The fact that it’s quick to put together and the fiery heat of the jerk spiced marinade is balanced with the fruitiness of the mango.. makes for a recipe you’ll find yourself making on a regular basis. I guarantee your friends will be begging you for this recipe.
