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.

Seafood Side Dishes

Caribbean Style Tuna Sandwich Spread.

May 27, 2025March 13, 201413 Comments

During my early years in Canada, mine was the typical immigrant story. Little money, hard work with long hours (school in my case) and quick meals. This meant eating a lot of what we would we would call “bachie’ (short for bachelor) food.. mostly canned fish and meats which were fast to put together and paired with crackers and/or bread. I ate canned tuna, salmon and corned beef in various forms and to be quite honest, got very creative at it. This is one such recipe. Where typical tuna salad or spread is given a serious Caribbean makeover!

You’ll Need…

2 cans tuna
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 heaping tablespoon mayo
1/4 cup diced celery
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup diced cucumber
1 scallion diced
1/2 avocado diced
1/4 lemon (juice)
1 seasoning pepper diced (optional)
1/2 teaspoon peppersauce (hot sauce)

* There’s actually no cooking involved, but you will need a few minutes to dice everything to assemble.

I purchased tuna packed in water, so after opening the cans, I tried my best to squeeze out all the liquid as I could. Then flaked it into small pieces (don’t overwork or it will become mush) in a large bowl.

Finely dice the onion, scallion, celery, cucumber (peel and deseed) and seasoning pepper (aka pimento pepper), then add it to the bowl with the flaked tuna. Now go in with the black pepper, pepper sauce (your fav hot sauce or finely diced scotch bonnet pepper) and mayo. Give it a good mix to incorporate all the ingredients.

After mixing well, top with the cubed avocado and before mixing, squeeze in the lemon juice on top of the avocado so along with adding a nice citrus punch, it will prevent the avocado from going discolored.

You’ll notice that I didn’t add any salt as I’m trying to cut back on my salt intake and I find that canned tuna is packed with a high amount of sodium. Please taste and adjust accordingly. Now gently fold in the avocado so as not to overly crush the delicate pieces… squeeze in some more lemon juice if you like!

Now get your favorite bread ready for a what I promise is a unique Caribbean style tuna sandwich. Place on crackers and pass around at your next party… watch you guests go into a feeding frenzy! Go ahead..take all the credit!

Store in the fridge if you make it in advance… and it will remain fine for a couple days in a sealed contained as long as it’s in the fridge. You can also use this to top some Boston lettuce and other greens for what I believe is a stunning tuna salad.

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.

Meat & Poultry

A Classic Caribbean Split Peas And Salted Pigtail Soup.

May 27, 2025March 9, 201422 Comments

This is a take on a basic but extraordinary soup my grandmother would make with simple ingredients like yellow split peas, herbs, salted cod instead of salted pig tail and tons of dumplings. She lived her entire 99 years without ever touching pork. However I love pork on my fork, so in my version I’ll be using pieces of salted pig’s tail for added flavor and that true Caribbean vibe in the pot.

You’ll Need…

2 cups yellow split peas
2 lbs salted pig tails
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 scotch bonnet pepper
1 tablespoon veg oil
1 large onion
4 sprigs thyme
4 large potatoes
3-4 cups coconut milk
6-8 cups water
2 scallions
4 cloves garlic
1 cup flour + water for dumplings

Note: If you don’t dine with the swine, you can easily use salted beef or bits of salted cod for the same flavor base. Additionally, you can make this split peas soup fully vegetarian and leave out the pork. Just add about 2/3 teaspoon salt in cooking.

Have your butcher cut the salted pig tail into one to 1.5 inch pieces for you or use a heavy Chinese clever to do so. Anything else and you’ll ruin your good knives. Rinse with cool water, place in a deep pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Turn it down to a simmer and let it go for about 45 minutes. The goal is to remove most of the salt the pork was cured in and to help tenderize it so when cooked in the soup it will be falling off the bones. Then drain and set aside.

As the vegetable oil heats on a medium flame in a deep soup pot, prep the ingredients. Dice the garlic, onion and scallions and peel and cut the potato into quarters.

The oil should be hot now, so toss in the garlic, onion, scallion and thyme and reduce the heat to low. After about 3-4 minutes, go in with the black pepper and then toss in the pre-cooked pieces of salted pig tail. Raise the heat to medium and give it a good stir. Wash and drain the split peas (place in a strainer and run cool water while running your fingers though the grains), then add it to the pot.

It’s now time to add the water, coconut milk and potato to the pot and bring to a boil. Then lower to a simmer and drop in the scotch bonnet pepper ‘whole’! This will give us a ton of flavor but not the raw heat. Near the end you can remove the springs from the thyme as well as the whole scotch bonnet pepper. Or if you want that Caribbean sunshine, you can burst it for real fyah!

After about 50 minutes of simmering (remember to keep stirring) the pieces of pigs tail should be tender and the split peas should start to dissolve. A sign that it’s time to add the flour dumplings. In a bowl place the flour and enough water to make a soft but firm dough (tip – add a pinch of sugar to the dough) , then work with a fork then go in with your hands to make the dough ball. Let it rest for about 5 minutes, then start pinching small pieces off and shape into a sort of cigarette shape (spinners). Add to the pot and cook for another 8 minutes.

Now taste for salt (adjust accordingly) as we didn’t add any salt with the hopes that the remaining salt from the salted pig tail would be enough to season the pot accordingly, remove the pepper if you so desire and don’t forget to also get rid of the springs from the thyme.

IMPORTANT! This split peas soup will thicken drastically as it cools so be sure to add more water if needed.

Turn off the heat and serve HOT! You can always add carrots, green bananas and ground provisions to the pot if you desire, but I find that it’s not really necessary! However our grandmother would always include yam if it was in season. Also bear in mind that this is not like a North American soup, but more like a thick stew and it will (no matter how hard you try) turn out to be a very large pot of soup.

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.

Gluten Free Seafood

Bodi Stewed In Coconut Milk And Salted Cod.

May 28, 2025November 16, 20131 Comment

As a young fella on the islands I fondly remember helping our mom pick (harvest) the mature bodi (bora, long-podded cowpea, asparagus bean, pea bean, snake bean, or Chinese long bean) which grew on the bamboo branches our dad would place next to the plants for the vine to spread. Something about the long beans cascading down like lengthened streams of water falling from the heavens attracted my attention. Especially when we had a good crop and the beans were the length of long shoe laces. However you had to be careful when picking the bodi when there were still flowers on the vine, as they attracted bees who did their thing pollinating so we could have a continuous crop.

If you can’t source bodi (bora in Guyana) french beans, string beans or any of your favorite green beans will work for this recipe. The one thing you will have to note though is the cooking time for the beans you select. Bodi is a bit tough so it takes about 5-10 minutes longer to cook than other beans.

You’ll Need…

1 bundle bodi (about 1lb)
3 cloves garlic (diced)
2 tablespoon olive oil (veg oil works great as well)
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 medium onion (sliced)
1/4 scotch bonnet pepper (any spicy pepper)
dash black pepper
1 cup shredded salted cod
8 cherry tomatoes

* Prep salted fish – soak – boil – drain and shred – please use boned salted fish for less work. Click here >> How To Prepare Salted Fish <<< to learn how to prepare saltfish for use. IMPORTANT: IF doing this recipe gluten free do go through the ingredient list to make sure it meets with your specific gluten free dietary needs.

Heat the oil on a medium heat, then add the salted fish and cook on low for about 3 minutes to create a lovely base of flavour. Then add the garlic and onion and cook for another 3 minutes on low heat. Stir well.

While this cook wash the bodi, then trim off about 1/4 inch off both ends and discard. Now cut them into 1 – 1.5 inch pieces.

Turn the heat up to medium/high, add the trimmed bodi as well as the other ingredients (except the tomatoes) and bring to a simmer.

Turn the heat down to a simmer, cover the pot and let it cook for about 20 minutes. After-which remove the lid, taste for salt (adjust accordingly to your taste) and turn the heat up to burn off all excess liquid.Should not have any liquid when done.

You will notice that the bodi will not have the brilliant green color you started off with (normal) and you can personalize this by cooking to the consistency you like as I know many people who like their beans with a little crunch to them. Add the tomato (toss), turn the heat off and cover the pot. The residual heat will gently cook the tomato.

If you want to make this fully vegetarian you can leave out the salted fish and start by gently cooking the onion and garlic and proceed from there (for extra flavor you can add a vegetable stock cube). And remember if you can’t source bodi, you can use your favorite green bean with great results. To stretch this dish for more people you can add some cubed potato, but do remember to adjust the amount of salt you add.

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.

Sauces & Condiments

French Caribbean Creole Sauce For Fish And Grilled Meats.

May 28, 2025April 19, 201315 Comments

This Creole sauce is turning out to be one of the most controversial recipes I’ve shared to date. After posting the recipe video on the Cooking Channel, there’s been a lot of comments about it not being authentic. Here’s the thing about cooking and recipes, it’s usually how you’ve learned to make the dish or how you like it. So when you see me add an ingredient like tomato paste to the sauce, rest assured that’s the way I like it. I use the traditional way (in most cases) of doing a dish as the base and try to add my own little touch. That said, there are some recipes where I will not alter the traditional format of preparing it as I don’t want to disrespect centuries of tradition.

You’ll Need…

1 medium Onion
3/4 cup celery
3/4 cup green pepper
3 cloves garlic
1 large tomato
1.5 cups chicken stock
1/4 scotch bonnet pepper
2 scallion
1 teaspoon Worcestershire
1 bay leaf
3 sprigs thyme
tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons chopped parsley.
2 tablespoon olive oil

Start off by chopping/dicing the scallions, green pepper, onion, tomato, garlic (finely), celery, parsley and scotch bonnet pepper. Then heat the olive oil on a medium heat and add the diced celery, onion and green pepper. Turn the heat down to low and let that gently cook for about 8-10 minutes.

Everything will be soft and tender now and you’ll have a wonderful base for this delicious creole sauce. Turn up the heat to med/high and add all the other ingredients, except the chopped parsley.

Stir well, bring to a boil, then turn the heat down so you have a gentle simmer going. Cook for about 25 minutes, with the lid ajar on the sauce pan.

Now remove the lid and let it cook on medium heat to thicken up a bit. Remember to fish out the bay leaf and if you did as I did.. remove the thyme stems and discard. It should only take a few minutes to thicken up. Finish off with the chopped parsley.

This creole sauce is excellent on fish (fried, baked, poached, grilled) and other grilled meats. You can certainly make this in advance and keep it in a sealed container in the fridge for at least a week. Just heat and serve when you’re ready to add a classic French Caribbean flavor to your dishes.

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.

Vegetarian

Tasty Vegetarian Mashed Yams.

February 7, 2013February 15, 20134 Comments

Did you know that the tuber most people outside the Caribbean call yams are really a milder sweet potato? On the islands we have several varieties of yams and in this recipe I’ll be using Kush Kush, which is probably one of the more harder varieties to source. I recall as a young fella on the islands how excited our dad would be when he came across some Kush Kush, but today I can readily get them at any of the larger Asian grocery stores which seem to be popping up everywhere.

As we have different varieties of yams, so too the taste, texture and starch content. Kush Kush is a much more drier when cooked and it’s texture is somewhat sandy and brittle, so you’ll find that the finished dish will be crumbly as compared to if you used another common variety.

You’ll Need…

3 lbs kush kush yam
1 large onion
1/4 scotch bonnet pepper
2 tables spoon shopped parsley
2 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

* 1/2 teaspoon salt

Notes: Be sure to wear gloves or coat your hands with vegetable oil when peeling the yams as they may irritate your skin. You can add additional flavor to this dish by adding some fried bacon or salted cod when you cook the onions.

The first step in preparing this dish is to peel, wash and cut the yams into similar size pieces. Then place the yam pieces in a deep pot with water and bring to a boil. Salt the water, reduce to a rolling boil and cook until tender (about 20 minutes). After 15 minutes, use a sharp pairing knife to pierce the yam pieces and if there’s no resistance, you’ll know it’s fully cooked. Boil as if you’re boiling potatoes. Skim of any frothy residue at the top of the pot when boiling and discard.

As the yam boils, it’s a good time to prepare the other ingredients.

When the yam is fully cooked, drain and crush while it’s still hot (chunky).

In a saucepan heat the olive oil on medium heat, then add the onion and cook for a couple minutes. Then add all the other ingredients and cook for another 2 minutes. Now add the crushed (boiled) yam and give it a good stir.

You have a couple options now. You can heat through so all the flavors marry and you get all the lovely goodness with every bite (2-3 minutes of cooking) Or you can allow it to cook for a longer period, until you start getting a nice sort of crust. Try to serve hot!

This is a lovely vegetarian meal on it’s own, but it’s just as good as a side dish paired with stewed, curry or grilled meats. Remember you can add additional flavor by adding bacon or salted cod fish pieces. If adding bacon or salted cod, cook these items first before adding the onions etc. Remember to wear gloves and to wash your hands immediately after handling scotch bonnet peppers. And if you’re concerned about the raw heat… don’t include any seeds or the white membrane surrounding the seeds.

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