caribbean cooking Archives - Page 17 of 18

Island life is closely connected to the ocean as well as the land on so many levels. Like the fresh herbs,vegetables and fruits we’re blessed with, the Caribbean Sea is packed with some the most delicious fish and seafood known to man. However when it comes to Salmon, it was more of a Good Friday dish and usually the salmon came in the form of a can (or “tin salmon” as it’s known). But if you’ve ever had stewed or curry salmon (yes the same stuff from the can) done the Caribbean way.. lets just say you’ll be amazed! Living in North America means fresh salmon is readily available in most supermarkets, so this is one of my go-to recipes when Tehya (shes the only one who really deals with the fish and seafood) and I get a hankering for baked salmon.

* You will notice that this is isn’t necessarily a “Caribbean” recipe, but I thought I’d still share it so you have some variety in your fish recipes repertoire. If doing this recipe gluten free do go through the entire list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs.

You’ll Need…

2 salmon steaks
1/2 white onion (sliced)
1 cup chopped grape tomatoes
1 tablespoon chopped chives
2 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 sprigs dill
4 slices lemon

* Parchment paper

In a small bowl place the chopped tomatoes, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, salt and black pepper and give it a good mix. Now tear off a large piece of parchment paper and in the middle drizzle on 1/2 the remaining olive oil, then layer on two lemon slices, a few onion rings and a sprig of dill. Place one of the salmon pieces on top of it and pour on 1/2 the tomato mixture we made.

Carefully wrap the fish as a package and try to seal it so the salmon steam cooks in its own juices and with the flavour ingredients we added to the parcel. If you want you can add additional black pepper and salt on top of the fish before sealing the parcels. Do the same of the next piece of salmon, then place them in an oven proof dish (you can add a bit of cooking spray or veg oil in the bottom of the dish)

Heat your oven to 375 F and place the dish on the middle rack. After about 15-18 minutes the salmon should be fully cooked (depending on how thick they are). Now you can personalize this by adding a bit of scotch bonnet pepper to give it a wicked kick and you certainly cook it longer if you so desire. But salmon (like all fish) can go dry and have a sort of cardboard texture if its overcooked.

There are so many flavors going on here in this simple baked salmon dish, I dare your kids and picky eaters not to enjoy this one. Well, unless they are Indy and Kieana who refuse to eat any fish but their grandmother’s fried King Fish, dipped in ketchup. They’ve been eating that ever since they could eat solids as toddlers.

The Ultimate Garlic Shrimp Recipe.

November 2, 2014October 21, 20148 Comments

In the Caribbean we have an abundance of wonderful seafood in our waters, including some of the most tasty shrimp you’ll ever enjoy. Sadly, I don’t recall this dish ever being made by mom or as a matter of fact.. I had never seen it done on the islands when we were growing up. However this is a go-to recipe for me when I need my shrimp fix! The natural sweetness of the garlic and the creamy texture you get when you add the chilled butter, is just outstanding.

You’ll Need…

1 lb medium shrimp
pinch salt
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoon chilled butter
1 tablespoon chopped parsley (flat leaf)
1 scallion
1/4 scotch bonnet pepper
2 heaping tablespoon diced garlic
pinch black pepper

Side Note: For this recipe I used organic garlic which I secured form a local farmer here in Hamilton and I must admit (been using the same garlic since) that without any doubt.. this is the BEST garlic I’ve ever used. Fleshy, sweet and a unique overall garlic flavor. You can use any garlic you have (fresh) access to, but getting organic garlic is well worth the effort (and price).

You’ll be surprised how quick and simple this recipe is to put together. Chop the scallion and parsley and finely dice the scotch bonnet pepper as well as the garlic. Clean, devein and wash the shrimp and drain dry.

Heat the oil in a heavy/wide saucepan on medium heat and go in with the cleaned shrimp. Cook for about 2-3 minutes.

Remember to stir so the shrimp cooks evenly. Now add all the other ingredients except the chilled butter and cook for two minutes. We DO NOT want to burn the garlic, so stir well.

Turn the heat off (or on very low) the heat and add the chilled butter, stir as you do so you get a rich and creamy sauce.

The diced scotch bonnet pepper (remember to wash your hands with soap and water after handling such hot peppers) is optional, but I quite like the slight kick you get to balance the natural sweetness from the shrimp and garlic. Yes, that gentle 2 minute cooking will allow the garlic to take on a gorgeous sweetness.

This gluten free (use gluten free butter – read label) is best served hot/warm and goes well with pasta and on toasted bread as a sandwich. Tehya and I had had them on ‘hops‘ bread.

Drinks Gluten Free

Refreshing Tamarind Juice.

November 9, 2014October 14, 20142 Comments

As a child of the Caribbean, fruit juices was my thing. We always had a jug of passion fruit, sour sop, barbadine, freshly squeezed orange or other citrus fruit juices in our fridge. Since I don’t do the sugar thing any longer…but oh how I crave those juices I grew up on. I still have a weakness for a cold glass of mauby or sorrel on those hot summer days.

Tamarind juice wasn’t a favorite for me as I much preferred making Tamarind Balls with whatever tamarind we would borrow from the neighbors tree.

You’ll Need…

2 cups tamarind pulp
6-8 cups water
1/2 cup sugar (add more to your liking)
1 teaspoon Mixed Essence (or vanilla extract)
3 drops Angostura Bitters
slices of lime

Note: if you live in North America you can source both tamarind pulp (with and without seeds) as well as different varieties of tamarind at Asian, Latino and Caribbean markets. In this recipe I used the prepacked pulp of the tamarind.

* If using fresh (ripe tamarind) you’ll need to remove the hard outer shell and the sort of fibers which hold everything together, then soak in the hot water as I’m about to explain. Boil about half the water called for in the recipe and pour it over the tamarind pulp in a large bowl. While still hot, try to break it up a bit with a large spoon – remember the water will be hot.

When the water cools, it’s time to use your hands to break the pulp apart until it’s relatively smooth. There will be fibers and seeds.

It’s now time to strain the pulp/water (it will be thick and have a sort of sour or tart scent) so you don’t have any debris in the final juice. You will need to strain this a couple times (at least) with a fine strainer.

Add the rest of the water and other ingredients, stir well and chill or serve with a couple cubes of ice. I like serving with a slice of lime or lemon. Do taste to ensure it’s sweet enough for your liking.

So the next time you see tamarind in the market or you feel the need to borrow some from the neighbors tree.. make some refreshing juice with them. BTW.. you can make this a ‘big people’ tamarind drink by adding some rum or vodka to the mix. Then the fun starts!

Gluten Free Seafood

The Ultimate Grilled Stuffed Peppers.

November 17, 2014October 7, 2014Leave a Comment

This past summer our annual Month Of Grilling was a huge success with fans around the world. One of the featured recipes this year was the grilled stuffed peppers, where I played around with some classic “Caribbean” ingredients to achieve what I believe is a delightful way to do stuffed peppers. Though this recipe was done on the grill, you can easily prepare it in your indoor oven with great success.

You’ll Need…

5 bell peppers
3 cups cooked rice (long grain parboiled brown)
2 scallions (chopped)
1/2 medium onion (diced)
1 cup shredded saltfish (salted cod, prepared)
1/4 scotch bonnet pepper (diced fine)
1 tomato (diced/seeded)
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar
1 tablespoon parsley
2 sprigs thyme
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

IMPORTANT: Use boneless salted cod and still check to make sure there are no bones as you prepare the salted fish.If you’re doing this recipe gluten free, please pay attention to the cheese (and every ingredient listed) you use as if it’s processed it may have trace amounts of gluten.

* NOTE : To learn how to prepare the salted cod, see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-4xn6sFpIQ

Cut the tops off the peppers and remove the core (seeds etc) and give them a wash and turn over on paper towels to dry. Dice the onion, scallions and tomato into same size pieces. Then finely chop the parsley, thyme and scotch bonnet pepper. Remember to not include any seeds from the scotch bonnet and wash your hands immediately after with soap and water after handing it. Grate the cheese and set aside. You’ll need to precook the rice in salted water.. I used long grain parboiled brown rice.

Above I have a link to a video showing how to prepare the salted fish (cod in my case). Soak in cool water, then place in a pot topped with water and boil for about 20 minutes Drain, rinse with water and shred. The goal is to remove most of the salt the fish is cured in and to re-hydrate the fish.

Heat the olive oil in a deep pan on a medium/low heat, add the diced onion, 3/4 of the scallion, thyme, black pepper, parsley and tomato cook for about 3 minutes on low. Then add the salted cod and cook for another 2-3 minutes. The cod is fully cooked, but we want to get the rich flavors from it in the stuffing.

Allow the filling to cool a bit, then mix it with the cooked rice in a large bowl. Then add 3/4 of the grated cheese, mix well and get ready to stuff the peppers. As mentioned I did these on the grill so I opted to use my cast iron pan to grill these on. Basically all you have to do is drizzle on some oil (or use cooking spray) and place the peppers on there to be stuffed. TIP: If you find that the peppers don’t sit evenly on the pan, you can cut the bottom of them so they level off.

As you grill heats up, top each pepper with a bit of the cheese and scallion we reserved.

Grill indirectly for about 30-40 mins.. be sure to turn the peppers so they cook evenly. My grill was set at about 375 F, the lid was covered and if you’re wondering.. indirect simply means the pan was not directly over the heat source of my grill.

If you’re doing these gluten free stuffed peppers in the oven – 375 F on the middle rack and I would recommend covering with tin foil to start, then remove the foil the last 5 minutes of cooking so you get those lovely charred edges. If you want you can also hit the broil setting for 2 minutes.

I do hope you’re liking the fact that we’re now featuring Caribbean type gluten free recipes (thanks for all your emails). I encourage you to be creative with the stuffing.. even if it means using 2-3 different types of cheese!

It’s important to note that I didn’t use any salt in this recipe as the remaining salt from the salted fish will be enough to season this perfectly. But you can always taste the stuffing and adjust accordingly. If you want you can dice the bell peppers we trimmed off (top) and add it to the stuffing or you can use them as a lid for presenting these tasty stuffed peppers at your dinner party.

Gluten Free Meat & Poultry

Island style Curry Pork Recipe.

May 27, 2025October 2, 20149 Comments

Curry wasn’t cooked often in our home when we were growing up (dad was not a fan of curry), especially pork. Mom’s go-to recipe when it came to pork was either stewed (stewed pork recipe) or roasted in the oven. When I moved to Canada and started living with my aunt (mentioned her in my cookbook), I learned to both appreciate and master the art of cooking Caribbean style curry dishes. Pork being one of them.

This curry pork is absolutely delicious.. tender pieces of pork, simmered in a delightful curry sauce which is not heavy and wickedly spicy if you break the scotch bonnet when cooking. The key here is to try and get pieces of pork with bones.. lean pork will work, but the bones gives it that extra layer of flavor (IMO).

You’ll Need…

3 lbs pork (I used ribs ends)
1 heaping tablespoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
1 tablespoon chopped shado beni (culantro)
2 tablespoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon roasted Geera (cumin)
1 scotch bonnet pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tomato
2 shallots
1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
3 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 scallion
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
water – about 3-4 cups

Notes: If you cannot source the shado beni (aka culantro), use 2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro. I like using a madras blend curry powder, but one made in the Caribbean (Trinidad and Tobago). If doing this gluten free, do pay attention to the curry powder you use to make sure there’s no flour added. Some curry powder adds flour to their blend.

Cut the pieces of pork (if your butcher didn’t already) and wash, drain and get ready to marinate (this is key). I used a cheap piece (already cut at the grocery store) of pork, with pieces from around the rib area of the piggy. In a big bowl, mix in the green seasoning, salt, black pepper, ground cumin, tomato (diced), salt, ketchup, chopped scallion and grated ginger with the pieces of pork. You have two options here when it comes to the scotch bonnet pepper. If you want raw heat, cut and use as much as you want in the marination process. If you want flavor, when we get the pot going, add the whole pepper and try NOT to break it.. or you’ll release the beast!

* Remember to wear gloves and wash your hands with soap and water immediately after using cut scotch bonnet peppers.

Give everything a good mix, cover with plastic wrap and allow to marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours (overnight is best). Let’s jump to actually cooking now! Heat the oil in a heavy bottom pan (one with a lid) on a medium heat, then add the diced onion and garlic.. lower the heat as low as it can go and allow the flavors to develop for about 3-5 minutes. With the heat still on low add the curry powder and mix well. The goal here is to cook off the raw taste of the curry so we don’t get a rawness to the finished dish.

It will go darker, you will have that lovely bouquet of curry in your kitchen and it will have a tendency to clump.. that’s natural. If you find that it’s too dry, feel free to add a bit more oil to the pot. After 4-5 minutes, turn the heat to high and start adding the seasoned pieces of pork to the pot. The goal is to coat the pork with the curry and to deglaze the pot.

Bring it up to a boil (it will release natural liquid), then turn it down to medium low, cover the pot and let it go for about 8-10 minutes. Then remove the lid and turn the heat back up to high. We want to burn off all that natural liquid and really intensify that curry flavor in the pieces of pork.

In the same bowl you marinated the pork (don’t discard the marinade), swish around 3 cups of water and set aside for use. Once the liquid is burnt off, it’s time to add that water to the pan (be sure you can see some of the oil we started off at the bottom of the pan before adding the water). Bring that to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer, cover the pot and let that slowly braise for about 1.5 hrs.

After its done it’s thing, we have to personalize this a bit (pork should be tender by now).. turn up the heat and burn off the liquid until you have a gravy consistency you like (I like it somewhat thick) and taste for salt. Adjust accordingly as my appreciation for salt will be different than yours. After turning off the stove I like to go in with the chopped shado beni (or cilantro) and let the residual heat help release the flavors from that. Do remember to remove the whole scotch bonnet pepper before serving.

TIP – Pork can be fatty… (remember I didn’t use a lean pork), so you’ll notice that some of the fat will rise to the surface of the pan. Spoon out and discard (not down your sink though – that can clog pipes).

If you want to make quicker work of this you can add it (after the initial 10 minutes of cooking the pork in the curry – before we added the water) to a pressure cooker for about 10-15 minutes (with 2 cups water) After it’s safe to open the pressure cooker, remove the lid and turn up the heat to thicken the gravy.

* This can be frozen with great results. Simply thaw, heat and serve when you’re ready for another dose of curry pork..which also happens to be gluten free. Curry traditionalists may query the use of tomato and ketchup, but I assure you the acid will help balance the flavors nicely.

Gluten Free Meat & Poultry

Traditional Caribbean Chicken Foot Soup Recipe.

May 27, 2025September 26, 20147 Comments

It’s one of those soups you really have to try before passing judgement. Like so many traditional dishes from the Caribbean (and globally), you’ll find people will be cautious and at times have negative comments, even though they fail to give it a try. You’ll notice that in the Caribbean we tend to use most of the animal with great success. Feet/trotters, tails, snout.. yea, not all that appetizing or so you’d think.

After a few years of not having chicken foot soup, I must admit that I had to coax myself to come to terms about eating ‘feet”. But one spoonful and it took me back to my days on the islands where this would be a big part of “Soup Saturdays”.

You’ll Need…

1 lb chicken feet (cleaned and trimmed)
2 chicken stock cubes
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 green cooking bananas
5 small eddoes
2 medium sweet potatoes
2 potatoes
water
1 tablespoon veg oil
1 large onion
4 cloves garlic
1 scallion
4 sprigs thyme
1 scallion
2 cups diced pumpkin
salt (taste and adjust accordingly)
1 scotch bonnet pepper
2 medium carrots

* You can add flour dumplings, yams, cassava, dasheen and other ingredients to personalize this chicken foot soup. If you’re making this gluten free, do pay attention to the ingredients listed, especially if you’re adding dumplings.

We need to prep all the ingredients.. make sure your butcher clean and trim the chicken feet (remove the yellow skin and cut off the sort of toes) and prepare the vegetables. Peel, cut into big pieces (same size if possible) and wash. Set the prepared vegetables (and ground provisions) in a bowl covered with water to prevent them from going discolored.

Heat the oil on a medium flame in a soup pot and go in with the chopped scallion, onion, garlic and thyme. Turn the heat down to low and let that gently cook for about 4-5 minutes. Then add the washed (and trimmed) chicken feet to the pot. Turn up the heat to med-high.

Add about 4-6 cups of hot water to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a rolling boil and let that go (partly covered) for about 25-30 minutes.

Now add all the other ingredients, bring back to a boil and let cook for another 25 minutes or so (add more water if necessary so everything is covered). You’ll notice that I didn’t give a specific amount of salt as the stock cubes will be heavy in sodium. Taste for salt and adjust according near the end of cooking. During the cooking process you may need to skim off any sort of residue you see at the top of the soup.

The goal is to have the chicken feet very tender and the vegetables/ground provisions must also be tender to the point where they’re starting to dissolve. This will also thicken the soup nicely.. as with traditional Caribbean type soups.

I had the scotch bonnet pepper in the soup ‘whole’ and I tried not to break it. We want the flavor of the pepper and not the raw heat.. well, unless you love that raw Caribbean sunshine! This must be served HOT and (you will) if you have leftovers, you can freeze it for dinner another day. Simply thaw (on your counter) and heat on the stove top on a very low heat. I rather this method than in the microwave.

Gluten Free Seafood

Jamaican Callaloo With Shrimp.

May 26, 2025September 12, 20143 Comments

As I’ve discussed in my Cookbook, there’s much debate in the Caribbean when it comes to callaloo. In the southern Caribbean it’s a delicious soup-like dish made with young dasheen bush leaves, flavored with crabs (for the most part) and simmered in coconut milk. However in Jamaica, callaloo is the bush or plant (amaranth) which is prepared in several different ways, but most popular is Jamaican Callaloo With Saltfish.

In this version of cooking Jamaican callaloo ((amaranth, chorai bhagi), we’ll bypass the salted fish and go with some precooked shrimp. However you can certainly use fresh shrimp for even more flavor.

You’ll Need…

2 lbs Jamaican Callaloo
1 tablespoon Coconut Oil (or olive)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt (your fav salt)
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 medium onion
3 cloves garlic
1/4 scotch bonnet pepper
1 cup small shrimp (pre cooked)
1/2 cup water
1 medium tomato diced
1 scallion
2 sprigs thyme

Wash, trim and chop the callaloo into ribbons. If using some of the stem, do try to use the tender ones and try to scrape of some of the outer skin. Thinly slice the garlic, chop the onion, scallion and tomato and finely dice the scotch bonnet pepper.

Heat the oil in a wide pan on a medium flame, then go in with the onion, garlic, black pepper and scallion. Drop the heat to low and let that go for about 3-4 minutes.

It’s now time to add the shrimp (if using frozen-precooked shrimp, wash and squeeze to remove most of the water) , stir well and cook for another 3 minutes. Yes the shrimp is already precooked, so you can easily add them near the end, but I quite like adding them now to enhance the flavor of the dish. If using fresh shrimp, cook for about 3 minutes, then remove them from the pan and set aside. Add back the last 3-4 minutes of cooking.

Turn the heat up to medium high and go in with all the other ingredients (not the water or lemon juice yet) and stir well. It may seem at first that your pot is not large enough, but the callaloo will wilt down. After a couple minutes, add the water and cook until tender.

After about 10-12 minutes, taste for salt and adjust accordingly. Here is where you’ll personalize this dish by checking to see if you like the current texture of it. Some people like their Callaloo very tender, while other like a slight bit of texture to it. In my case it was close to where I like it, so I went in with the lemon juice and turned up the heat to burn off the remaining liquid in the pan.

The lemon juice will help balance the flavors of this dish and quite honestly elevate it. This dish (please review all the ingredients) can be considered gluten free and if you want to add a bit more flavor you can use coconut milk as a replacement for the water. Not the classic Jamaican callaloo with Saltfish or Chorai bhagi with saltfish as we would call it in Trinidad and Tobago, but I assure you… you’ll love this take on cooking Jamaican callaloo.

Gluten Free Vegetarian

Cooking Collard Greens The Caribbean Way.

November 11, 2014September 6, 20149 Comments

Collard Green or collards is not native to the Caribbean, so it’s not something we would refer to as being traditional. However, with our love for dasheen bush, spinach, Jamaican callaloo (chorai), Bok Choi and just about every other green there is, it’s natural that collards will find a loving home in my kitchen. If I can somehow incorporate greens as part of my daily menu, I’d go for it.. my love for it is that strong.

Rather than going with some sort of smoked meat or salted fish as we would normally add extra flavor to such dishes, I thought I’d keep this collard green recipe fully vegetarian and it just so happens to be gluten free as well.

Disclaimer – please go through the entire list of ingredients to ensure they meet with your gluten free dietary restrictions.

You’ll Need…

1 bunch collard greens (about 2 lbs)
1 medium onion
3 cloves garlic
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon coconut oil
3/4 cup coconut milk
1 tomato
2 birds eye pepper

To learn how to prepare collard greens, please watch this video: How To Prepare Collard Green for Cooking.

The collard leaves can have dirt between the leaves, so do wash them individually to ensure you get them fully cleaned. Remove the center spine (discard) and roll a few leaves together as if making a cigar. Now slice to form 2/4 inch ribbons.

Dice the onion and garlic, then heat the oil in a pan over medium fame. Go in with the onion and garlic, turn the heat down to low and cook gently for about 4-6 minutes. Also add the whole (do NOT break or cut these unless you want raw heat) peppers.

The goal is to get the flavor of the peppers, but not necessarily the heat (unless you want it spicy). Now raise the heat to medium and add the prepared collard greens to the pot, top with the salt and black pepper… stir well.

Add the coconut milk and diced tomato and bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer. Place a lid on the pot and gently cook for about 40 minutes.

Now remove the lid and go in with the freshly squeezed lemon juice. The citrus will brighten up this collard greens dish and give it a sort of freshness. Cook with the lid off for another 5 minutes or so. Couple points.. taste for salt and adjust accordingly and please modify the cooking time to achieve the consistency and texture you like your collard greens to have. Some people cook it longer and others for a shorter time.

Now I know my friends from the Southern US will be saying.. no smoked turkey, no ham hocks, not even some bacon? All wonderful flavor ingredients to add, but I assure you this vegetarian version of cooking collard greens will rock your taste buds.

Meat & Poultry

Kickin Grilled Orange Chicken.

May 27, 2025July 9, 201413 Comments

I do hope you’re enjoying this year’s installment of July’s Month Of Grilling as I am. The heat, smoke and raw flame of the grill excites me. Maybe it brings out the primitive instincts in me (caveman)? I’m a huge fan of the orange chicken you’ll find at Chinese restaurants… battered chicken pieces fried then tossed in that sticky orange sauce. With that in mind, you’ll find similar flavors is the grilled orange chicken version, but a more clean tasting and with a slight kick from the scotch bonnet pepper.

You’ll Need…
3 lbs chicken thighs (drums work well too)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 scallions
2 sprigs thyme
1 cup orange concentrate
1 cup tomato ketchup
2 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 lime (juice and zest)
1/2 scotch bonnet pepper diced fine.
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Note: Remember to wear gloves when handling scotch bonnet peppers and do wash your hands with soap immediately after. Don’t include any seeds as that’s were the true heat is. If you don’t have scotch bonnet pepper you can use about 1/2 teaspoon of your fav peppersauce (hot sauce).

Trim the chicken pieces of excess fat and skin. I opted to remove the skin, but in all honesty grilling with the skin on makes for juicer chicken pieces. Wash the chicken pieces and drain dry. Then season with the finely chopped scallions (green onion or spring onion), salt, black pepper and thyme. Let that sit for about 15 minutes.

It’s now time to prepare that lovely sticky orange bbq sauce we’ll be finishing the grilling with. In a medium sauce pan on medium/low heat add all the other ingredients and bring to a boil. Whisk well, then reduce to a gentle simmer and let it reduce for about 10-15 minutes on that low heat (keep whisking often). Remove off the heat and you can reserve 1/2 the sauce for making chicken wings or pork tenderloin (store in the fridge). Or you can certainly double up on the chicken and use all of the sauce. BTW this orange bbq sauce makes a great dipping sauce for chicken strips/nuggets.

Let’s now get to the grilling part. Basically all you have to do is the grill the chicken as you would normally do, and the last five minutes is when you’ll bring that orange bbq sauce into use. My grill was at about 375-400 F and I grilled for about 20-25 minutes remembering to flip the pieces of chicken every 5 minutes or so.

The cooked chicken pieces is then tossed in the orange bbq sauce, then placed back on the grill to caramelize and get nice and sticky.

For an extra kick of flavor grill some lime or lemon wedges and allow your guests to squeeze on some of that lovely citrus juice as they dig into what I believe is the best orange glazed bbq (grilled) chicken.

If you don’t have a grill or simply wish to do this indoor in your oven, place the seasoned chicken pieces (leave the skin on) on a lined baking tray, skin side down and roast for 15 minutes at 375F. Flip over and cook another 12 minutes (more time for bigger pieces) . Then toss in the orange bbq sauce and place back in the oven under the broil setting for a few minutes. Keep an eye on it as the high heat from broiling and the sugars from the bbq sauce can cause it to char quickly.

Meat & Poultry

Eddoes With Leftover Trinbago Stewed Pork (recipe).

May 27, 2025June 8, 20143 Comments

Whenever I make stewed pork (Trinidad style stewed pork) I purposely make extra so I have leftovers for adding to other dishes.. like this one using eddoes. As I’ve mentioned before I’m a ‘country’ boy at heart, so ground provisions (starchy root type vegetables) are a huge part of my diet (though expensive to buy here in Canada). This recipe is a take on one our mom would do, but she would use yam (finger yam) instead of the eddoes, with amazing results.

You’ll Need…

2 lbs eddoes
1/4 teaspoon salt (boiling the eddoes)
pinch black pepper
2 scallions
1 tomato (diced | deseeded)
1 onion diced
2 cloves garlic (sliced thin)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup stewed pork.

Tip: When peeling/washing the eddoes you may want to wear gloves or coat your hands with vegetable oil as the starch/sap can cause irritation.

Using a sharp pairing knife or potato peeler, peel the skin off the eddoes, cut in half and wash with cool water. Then place in a deep pot covered with water and bring to a boil on a high heat. As it comes to a boil, add the salt and skim of any foamy residue on the surface. Reduce to a rolling boil and cook until tender (about 15-20 minutes) To test to see if they’re fully cooked, pierce with a knife and if there’s no resistance.. they’re good to go. Drain and set aside.

As the eddoes cook/boil, you can prep the tomato, onion , garlic and scallion (dice).

In a wide saucepan heat the oil on a medium flame and add the butter, then go in with the onion, garlic, scallion and black pepper. Reduce the heat to low and let this gently cook for about 3-4 minutes.

Next up add the diced tomato, give it a good stir and let it go for another minute before adding the left over stewed pork pieces. Turn up your heat to medium and let it go for another 2-3 minutes.

It’s now time to add the cooked eddoes to the pot and give it a good stir to ensure the eddoes are coated in the wonderful flavors we put together. Since the eddoes should still be warm, it will only take a minute or 2 to complete this amazing dish.

When boiling the eddoes do remember to cut them the same size so they cook evenly and if you don’t have stewed pork you can always start off with diced bacon or if you want to give it an Italian twist.. go with some pancetta. Do serve warm.. reheats well in the microwave.

Seafood

Sweet Potato Crab Cakes Recipe.

November 18, 2014May 15, 20146 Comments

If you’ve priced or purchased crab meat from the fish market or grocers you’d know how expensive the stuff can be, so making crab cakes can be a bit hard on your pocket. My love for crab cakes is deep, so I came up with this recipe for using canned crab meat which is very inexpensive. With the fresh herbs, the slight kick from the finely diced scotch bonnet pepper and sweet (and creamy) undertones of the sweet potato, you’ll be quite pleased by these budget friendly crab cakes.

You’ll Need…

1 can crab meat (120g)
pinch black pepper
1 tablespoon mayonaise
1 cup bread crumbs
1 lb sweet potato
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1 tablespoon chopped parsely
1 tablespoon chopped red onion
1/2 scotch bonnet pepper (diced finely) – no seeds
1 scallion diced
1 cup veg oil for frying

Notes: You can use 1 egg to bind everything if you find the batter is overly wet or soggy. Remember to drain and squeeze the crab to get rid of water and please don’t don’t use immitation crab nor expensive lump crab.

Peel and cut the sweet potatoes in half, then boil in salted water until tender. To know if they are fully cooked, pierce with a pairing knife and if there’s no resistance it means they’re cooked. Drain and mash in a deep bowl. As the mashed sweet potato cools, you can finely dice/chop the other ingredients.

It should be cool now, so go in with all the ingredients, except the crab meat and bread crumbs… mix well.

Fold in the crab meat, then chill in the fridge for about 20 minutes so everything firms up a bit. Now roll into balls (golf ball size), after-which you’ll need to roll the balls in the bread crumbs, pressing down gently so the crumbs hold on.

Heat the vegetable oil on medium (olive oil will give it a good flavor as well) in a wide pan, then press down on each crab cake ball to form a sort of patty.

All you have to do now is fry them on each side until golden brown, drain on paper towels and enjoy!

I would suggest that after forming the patties that you place them in the fridge to chill and firm up a bit so they hold their shape while frying. These sweet potato crab cakes goes well with the garlic sauce I shared a while back or you can opt for a ranch dressing you’d normally get at the supermarket.

Gluten Free Seafood

Simple Oven Jerk Fish Recipe.

November 8, 2014April 14, 20149 Comments

With Easter around the corner I’ve had several requests for fish recipes, so I thought I’d share a simple technique for making Jamaican style jerk snapper (fish), but with store bought jerk marinade and in your oven. I agree that making your own jerk marinade is much better and using a grill with coals and pimento wood is what true Jamaican jerk is all about. However this is all about convenience and exciting flavors.

You’ll Need…

2-4 lbs Red Snapper
1/2 lime or lemon (for washing the fish)
1 heaping tablespoon of jerk marinade (use gluten free for the gluten free version)
1 tablespoon orange juice
pinch salt and black pepper
1 tablespoon veg oil

* Use your favorite store purchased jerk marinade.

Scale, trim (gut) and wash the fish with the juice of 1/2 lime or lemon.. rinse with cool water and pat dry. Cut two slits on the back (both sides) of each fish to allow for the jerk marinade to penetrate and do all-kinda good things. Stuff the cavity of each fish with a bit of thyme and scallions (bruise or crush with your knife to release the flavors) and sprinkle a bit of salt and black pepper.

In a small bowl mix the jerk marinade (use your fav) and orange juice, then brush it onto both sides of each fish. Try to get some in the cuts we made. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to marinate in the fridge for about 1/2 hour (max 1 hr as the marinade will start to cook the fish after that).

Now preheat your oven to 400 F and line a baking tray with parchment paper. Drizzle on the veg oil so the fish won’t stick as it does it’s thing in the oven. Set the baking tray on the middle rack in your oven and let it go for about 15 minutes. Then flip over and cook for another 8-10 minutes. This depends on how thick your fish are and how well done you like your fish.

There you go, a simple but exciting jerk fish done in your oven.. no need for an outdoor grill. Remember if you’re serving this to kids be mindful of the bones of the fish. If you decide to use fish fillets, try to get some with the skin still on and reduce the cooking time (again, depending on the thickness of the fillets) by about 1/2.

Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. Oh yea! Leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated! Important, do read the label of the jerk marinade you use to ensure it meets with your gluten free dietary needs.