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chris de la rosa

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Meat & Poultry

Incredible Curry Beef With Potato.

2 Comments on Incredible Curry Beef With Potato.

Curry Beef With Potato! Can Caribbean food get any better? Fork tender pieces of beef, potatoes falling apart to form a rich and thick gravy, the overall flavors of curry, herbs and the gentle kick of Caribbean Sunshine (scotch bonnet). Need I say more?

You’ll Need…

3 lbs stewing beef (cubed)
1/2 lemon (juice)
3/4 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
1 tomato (diced)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon Amchar Massala
1 tablespoon olive oil (for seasoning the beef)
1/4 scotch bonnet pepper (sliced thin)
2 tablespoon veg or olive oil
1 medium onion (diced)
6-8 cloves garlic (diced)
2 tablespoon curry powder
1/4 cup water
6 medium potatoes (cut into 1/4’s)
3 cups water
1-2 tablespoon chopped cilantro

NOTE! I used boneless beef, but pieces with bones will give you a better flavor to the dish. With that in mind I added some oil to the beef when I seasoned it, to compensate for the lack of fat. Additionally (important) If doing this recipe gluten free, please go through the complete list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs. Especially the curry powder you use as some may contain flour as a filler. Use as much (or none) Scotch Bonnet as you like.

Cut the beef into 1-1.5 inch pieces and wash with lemon juice and cool water. Drain dry and season with the salt, black pepper, Caribbean Green Seasoning, scotch bonnet, olive oil (1 tablespoon), tomato and Amchar Masala. Stir well and allow to marinate for at least 1 hour. If you can’t source Amchar Masala, use roasted ground cumin.

Heat your pot (something heavy works best IMHO) on a medium flame, go in with the 2 tablespoon veg (or olive) oil, turn the heat down to low and add the onion and garlic. Cook on low for 2-3 minutes. As it cooks, add the curry powder to the 1/4 cup of water and stir to form a slurry (set aside).

Add the curry slurry to the pot (heat on medium now) and stir. Cook for about 3-4 minutes to cook off the rawness of the curry and to bloom the spices which makes up a good curry powder. It will go dark and start to clump.

Turn the heat to medium / high now and start adding the seasoned beef to the pot. Stir to coat and pick up the curry base we created. Yes, you can add the marinade to the pot too. In the same bowl you marinated the beef, add the water and stir (set aside for later).

Place a lid on the pot (once it comes to a boil), heat down to low and cook for about 10-12 minutes.

Remove the lid, crank the heat up to high to burn off all the liquid it would have sprouted naturally. It may take up to 5 -7 minutes to get back to the oil we started off with (at the bottom of the pan).

Add the potatoes and stir to coat. Then add the water we had reserved in the bowl. Bring to a boil, reduce to low, lid on and simmer for 45-50 minutes or until the beef is tender.

Taste for salt and adjust and get the gravy to the consistency you like (cook longer if it’s too thin). If the beef is not tender, you may need to cook on low for 30 minutes more. Add more water if necessary. Toss in the cilantro as you turn off the heat.

This curry beef with potato is an excellent way to put cheaper cuts of beef to use. Adding the potatoes is a means of stretching this dish to feed more people… something mom would do when we were kids and she had to feed the entire family.

Meat & Poultry

Phenomenal Honey Oven Jerk Chicken.

2 Comments on Phenomenal Honey Oven Jerk Chicken.

Following up on the Outstanding Honey Jerk Marinade I shared a couple weeks back, I thought it was only appropriate that I show you how to put it to use. While I did this version in the oven (it was the middle of winter when I documented the recipe), you can also rock this on your outdoor grill this BBQ season.

You’ll Need…

4-5 lbs chicken drumsticks
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups Honey Jerk Marinade (divided)
2-3 tablespoon Honey (I used raw organic)
1 lime (juice)

In a large bowl with the cleaned chicken, add the lime juice, salt and 3/4 cup of the Honey Jerk Marinade. Allow to marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours – overnight will give best results. Feel free to put this in a strong zipper bag.

Pre-heat your oven to 375 F and line your baking tray with parchment or foil to make cleanup easier when you’re done. I also sprayed some baking spray on the wire rack I was using (so the chicken won’t stick), Yes, I recommend using a wire rack if you got one, as it will allow the oven’s hot air to circulate the chicken, cooking it evenly.

When you place the marinated chicken on the rack, try to have some space between each piece. Then into that 375 F oven onto the middle rack. 30 minutes later, flip them over and cook for another 20 minutes.

Mix the honey with the reserved honey jerk marinade, to intensify the honey flavor in the completed jerk chicken.

After 50 minutes remove the chicken from the oven, put the oven to 400 F and brush on some of the honey/jerk marinade. Back into the oven for 20 minutes, brushing on the sort of glaze every 5 minutes. So a total of 2 times on each side of the chicken pieces.

Then to give it that punch of color I went in for 3 minutes on the “Broil” setting (550 F) – be mindful to keep an eye at this point as the high heat and sugars in the glaze could BURN easily.

At no point did I cover these with foil, in case you’re wondering. Yes any cut of chicken will work, but you’ll have to adjust the cooking time according to the size of each piece. The drippings under the rack will also be DYNAMITE!

Vegetarian

Quick And Tasty Vegetable Stir Fry.

3 Comments on Quick And Tasty Vegetable Stir Fry.

The splendor and simplicity of quickly cooked vegetables is very much highlighted in this recipe. I grew up eating vegetables fresh (organic) from our little kitchen garden at the back on the house. So even as a lil fella on the islands, mommy never had a problem getting us to eat stir fry. Okra and bitter melon (caralie), now that’s a different story.

You’ll Need…

1/2 small savoy cabbage (chopped)
1 carrot (julienne)
1/2 red bell pepper (cut 1/2 inch pieces)
1/2 yellow bell pepper (cut 1/2 inch pieces)
1/2 Christophene (cho cho or Chayote)
1/2 medium onion (diced)
2 cloves garlic (diced fine)
1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
10 string beans (trimmed & cut 1 inch)
1/4 large broccoli (cut into florets)
1 teaspoon veg oil
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon Hoisin Sauce
1/2 teaspoon Sesame oil
1-2 tablespoon water

Wash and core the Christophene, then cut into strips (watch the video below). You may remove the skin if you want (with a pairing knife or potato peeler).

Prep the other vegetables we’ll be using. I like cutting them into different shapes as it gives the finished dish wonderful textures.

Heat a pan of medium/high heat and go in with the oil, followed by the onion, garlic and ginger. Add the black pepper, sesame oil (I’m not a huge fan of it, so you can add more if you wish) and cook for about 1 minute.

Now go in with the more tough vegetables… Christophene, carrot and string beans. Cook for about 2 minutes, then add the broccoli and water. The water is to create a bit of steam to cook the vegetables without burning.

I didn’t add any salt as I’m cutting back on my sodium intake and the soy sauce is enough to season this for me. However, you may want to add about 3/4 teaspoon salt.

Now add the bell peppers and stir well.

Three minutes later add the Hoisin and mix well to make sure all the vegetables are coated with it. Toss in the cabbage, give it 2 minutes and you’re done. For additional favor you’re free to add a teaspoon of Oyster Sauce.

I maintained a med/high heat and at no time did I cover the pan. I used a non-stick pan so I didn’t have to use much oil. You’re also free to add any of your fav vegetables if you wish. Be creative!

NOTE! I like my vegetables with a slight crunch, so you may need to cook an extra minute or two if you like your vegetables cooked longer.

Gluten Free Meat & Poultry

Caribbean Curry Stewed Pork.

3 Comments on Caribbean Curry Stewed Pork.

Curry and Stew! My 2 best friends when it comes to Caribbean culinary culture. Combine them and only good things shall happen. I grew up eating pork 2 ways.. Ginger Stewed (brown sugar like you’ll see below) and roasted in the oven or ‘bake pork” as mom would say. ONLY after coming to Canada did I ever eat Curry Pork (living with my aunt) and years later I combined both for this amazing dish.

You’ll Need…

2-3 lbs pork ( I used pork tenderloin)
1 lime or lemon
3/4 tablespoon salt (adjust)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 medium tomato (diced)
1 medium onion (diced)
1 scotch bonnet pepper (sliced)
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
4 scallions (divided)
1 1/2 tablespoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
2-3 cups water
1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoon golden brown sugar
1 1/4 tablespoon curry powder

IMPORTANT! If doing this recipe gluten free, please go through the entire list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary requirements (especially the curry powder you use as some contain flour as a filler). I used a pork tenderloin in this recipe but any cheap piece of pork will work (something a little fatty will be best), just be prepared to adjust the cooking time accordingly. I used the entire Scotch Bonnet pepper.. feel free to do the same but note it will be spicy. Cut back and don’t use any of the seeds nor white membrane surrounding the seeds if you want to cut back on the heat level. AND remember to wash your hands with soap and water immediately after handling such hot peppers.

Cut the pork into cubes (about 2-3 cm), wash with the juice of a lime or lemon and cool water. Drain dry.

Season the pork with the salt, black pepper, ketchup, onion, tomato, Caribbean Green Seasoning, scotch bonnet pepper, ginger, scallions (1/2) and curry powder. Mix well and allow to marinate for at least 2 hours.

Place a heavy pot on high heat, add the oil and sugar. The sugar will start to melt, go frothy, then amber in color (do not proceed if the sugar goes BLACK). Add the seasoned pork to the pot in batches, while your stir. Use a spoon (dry) with a long handle as the melted sugar will be HOT.

Heat still on high, bring to a boil with the lid on (about 3 minutes). Then reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes. Now remove the lid and crank the heat to high. We need to burn off all that natural liquid (about 6 minutes or so) and in doing so we’ll intensify the color and flavor.

Put the water in the same bowl you marinated the pork in and swish it around to pick up any remaining marinade. As you burn off ALL the liquid and you can see the oil we started off with at the bottom of the pot.. add this water and bring to a boil.

Reduce to a medium low and cook with the lid slightly ajar. Basically we’re braising until tender.

After about 45 minutes, you now have to personalize things. Taste and adjust the salt and decide if it’s tender enough for you (cook longer if necessary) and finally burn off any extra liquid to get to the consistency of gravy you like. I turned up the heat and cooked it for another 5 minutes, then I topped it with the remaining scallions as I turn off the heat.

ABSOLUTELY – one of the best pork dishes you’ll ever have. Fork tender and packed with rich Caribbean flavors. Add a bit more ginger for more of a ‘punch’ and if you don’t care about gravy, burn off ALL the liquid at the end – the flavor will be intense! (only way mom would do it – no ‘sauce’)

Sauces & Condiments Vegetarian

Outstanding Honey Jerk Marinade.

3 Comments on Outstanding Honey Jerk Marinade.

While on a recent trip to the Caribbean I was challenged by a honey producer (and given a bag of goodies) to use her honey in a recipe when I got back home. While the honey will compete with the more flavorful ingredients in this jerk marinade (like the spices, herbs and Scotch Bonnet peppers), it does enough to let you know “hey I’m here too“!

You’ll Need…

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup Vinegar
1/2 cup Soy sauce – dark
2 limes (juice)
3/4 cup Orange juice – fresh
15 Jamaican Pimento berries – all spice
1/2 tablespoon black pepper
2 tablespoon raw cane sugar
1.5 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon clove powder
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg powder
10-15 sprigs thyme
2 scallions
thick piece of ginger
1 large onion
8-10 cloves garlic
3 Scotch bonnet peppers
2 tablespoon honey (add more for a more pronounced honey undertone)
2 bay leaves

NOTE! Please remember to use as many Scotch Bonnet Peppers as you can tolerate (removing the seeds and white membrane around the seeds will help reduce the heat level). Wear gloves when handling them and wash your hands with soap and water immediately after. I used a cinnamon stick as I didn’t have any cinnamon powder. With the Cinnamon stick and All Spice (pimento) Berries you’ll need a powerful blender or food processor to break those down. Alternatively you can use the powder form – for the all spice use 1 heaping teaspoon .

Give everything a rough chop (after washing) as to make it easier for the blender or food processor to break down smooth. Remember you can add more of one ingredient if it’s a flavor you like. For me.. I like adding Bay Leaves as I find it compliments the Pimento Seeds (all spice), but many people won’t have it in their jerk marinade.

Add all the ingredients to the food processor.

I like to ‘pulse’ until I get the desired consistency and texture I like. I find that if you don’t pulse, you end up adding too much air to the finished marinade and it’s a bit frothy. It takes about 2-3 minutes.

If you do decide to add more honey than what’s mentioned in the ingredient list above, may I recommend you add it now (after your marinade comes out of the food processor).

This marinade will stay good in a clean container in the fridge for about a week. Or use immediately! Or you can double up on the recipe and freeze some. Pour into an ice cube tray until frozen, then pop into a freezer bag. whenever you need some, just thaw a few cubes and you’re golden!

Seafood

My Grandmother’s Fish Choka.

1 Comment on My Grandmother’s Fish Choka.

Following up on the Fry Dry Herrings recipe I shared yesterday, here’s my take on my grandma’s Fish Choka. Basically any fried, oven roasted or grilled fish, flaked and made into a sort of salad (best way I can describe it). Light, tasty and very simple to put together. While the recipe isn’t exact, the technique is very true to the traditional way of making Fish Choka in Trinidad and Tobago. A ‘poor mans’ dish, usually made from fish the fishermen would practically give away (back in the old days).

You’ll Need…

1 lb fried fish (any will work)
1 medium onion (sliced thin)
1-2 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tomato (diced)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 lime (juice)
1 birds eye pepper (chopped finely)
2 scallions (chopped)
1 tablespoon parsley (chopped)
1 teaspoon pepper oil (optional)

Strip fish meat off the bones into flakes, ensuring you remove all the bones and discard. If using fried herring or sardines with a batter you have the option of keeping the crispy skin or not.

With the flaked fish in a large bowl, add the black pepper, salt, juice of lime, tomato, bird’s eye pepper (optional), scallion, parsley and pepper oil. Being a bit gentle, toss everything to mix evenly. As mentioned in the video below, my grandma would typically use a clove of crushed garlic in the mix, but my pepper oil got a lot of garlic in it.

Top with the thinly sliced onion. I used a red onion, but you’re free to use any onion you have on hand or like using.. the key is to slice it very thin.

Heat the olive oil until you start seeing smoke. You my use coconut. vegetable or any oil you like using.

Pour the heated oil directly over the onions. This will slightly cook then and in the process, add a lovely onion flavor to the dish and kill some of it’s pungency.

Stir well and ENJOY

While my dad enjoys this as a topping for salted crackers, I’m a fan of Dhal and Rice served with this Fish Choka. The odd times I make sandwiches with it and when I’m not lazy I make fresh Sada Roti.

Seafood

Grandma’s Traditional Fried Herrings.

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Fry Dry! Small ocean fish marinated in a classic Caribbean marinade, then fried until crisp. Such a simple dish, but deep in tradition (our family’s recipe goes back about 150 yrs) . Just about every Caribbean household got their own version of making this dish.. today I’ll share my grandma’s take on it.

You”ll Need…

2 lbs herrings (cleaned)
1/2 lemon (juice)
1 teaspoon curry powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
I tablespoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon pepper sauce (hot sauce)
1 clove garlic (crushed)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Clean (or ask your fish monger to do it) and wash the herrings with lemon juice and cool water. Drain and season with salt, black pepper, curry powder, garlic, Caribbean Green Seasoning and peppersauce (or your fav hot suace). Mix well (be gentle as you don’t want to break-up the fish) to coat evenly and marinate for about 1 hour. Try to get some of the seasoning
into the belly cavity of the fish. For additional flavor you may grate in a small onion too!

Set up your frying station. Flour (on a plate), Seasoned fish, frying pan and a plate lined with paper towels.

Heat oil on medium heat, dust each fish in the flour (not heavy) and pan fry the fish until they are crisp. Takes between 3-4 minutes on each side. The goal is to have fried (crisp) dry fish.

Fry in batches to not crowd the pan and place on paper towels to drain off excess oil.

Quick, simple and very tasty. I recall days when my grandmother would have boiled rice, split peas dhal and this fry dry herring (sardines and smelts will work great too) . Yea, fire roasted coconut chutney would be the spicy condiment of choice back then.

Gluten Free Sauces & Condiments Vegetarian

Spicy Mango Kuchela.

1 Comment on Spicy Mango Kuchela.

Mango Kuchela… as young fella on the islands I had NO love for this spicy pickle / condiment. However, it’s now one of my go-to sides when I have curry dishes, soups and Pelau, as an adult. My new found love probably got something to do with the fact that getting good green mangoes to make it in Canada is not as easy as when our home was surrounding by mango trees in the Ccaribbean.

You’ll Need…

6-8 green mangoes (depending on how large they are)
3/4 tablespoon salt (adjust)
1 teaspoon brown sugar (optional)
1 1/2 cups veg oil
6-8 cloves garlic
as much hot peppers as you can handle
2-3 tablespoon cilantro
2 1/2 tablespoon Anchar Massala

Note! If doing this recipe gluten free, please go through the entire list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary requirements. I used 3 Habanero peppers, but you can use any variety hot pepper you have on hand as as much as you can handle. Remember to wash your hands with soap and water immediately after handling such hot peppers.

Wash, peel (use a pairing knife or potato peeler) and grate the mango – be mindful of the seeds as you grate . A box grater works best.

Then using a cheese cloth (or dish towel), wrap and twist (wring) the mango to remove the natural liquid of the mango. The goal is to make it
as dry as we can, so later on it will absorb all the flavors we’ll be adding.

Set on paper-towel lined baking trays and allow to air dry at least 4 hours – I went overnight. Traditionally this is placed in the direct sun in the Caribbean. The paper towels will also help to absorb some of the natural liquid.

Pour the anchar masala onto the dried grated mango (large bowl), along with the salt and brown sugar (sugar is not traditional to the recipe, but it helps IMHO) and mix WELL!

You can source the Anchar Masala at most Caribbean grocers and lately I’m seeing it in the spice section of bigger Asian markets. Puree your garlic, cilantro and peppers. The cilantro I added is not traditional to the recipe – Shado beni is used (sometimes) instead. If you don’t have a blender, you can chop everything finely.

Heat the oil in a heavy pot on a medium heat and as it comes up to temperature add the pepper/garlic mixture and cook for 2-3 minutes. The goal is to flavor the oil with the garlic and give it a kick with the pepper (I used the seeds of the peppers as well).

Then go in with the mango and stir well. Yes, we used a lot of oil, but you’ll notice how it will be absorbed by the dried mango. The goal at the end is to use the oil as a preservative… so it keeps the finished kuchela fresh and not develop any mold etc.

Cook it for about 10 minutes, then into a glass jar. Be sure to stir it well, so all the flavors combine.

NOTE! Certain mango varieties makes better Kuchela (I know my mom prefers Starch Mango and my grandmother’s fav was Long Mango) but I used whats available to me. Just make sure they are GREEN and TART!

Meat & Poultry

Incredible Comforting Lamb Stew.

1 Comment on Incredible Comforting Lamb Stew.

While there’s nothing “Caribbean” about this recipe, it’s something I make on the regular as I enjoy stews and soups. It’s one of those comforting one-pot dishes the entire family will enjoy and often-times, there’s leftovers to freeze. My reason for posting the recipe here is simple – there were a lot of requests for it when I teased cooking it on Instagram.

You’ll Need…

3-4 lbs lamb (any cut lamb will work)
2-3 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 lb bacon (cut into 1 inch pieces)
1/4 cup flour (all purpose)
1 large onion (cubed)
1 shallot (diced)
6 cloves garlic (smashed)
3 stalks celery (sliced)
5 sprigs thyme
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoon tomato paste (concentrated puree)
1 1/2 cup red wine
8-10 mushrooms (cut in half)
3/4 tablespoon salt (adjust)
2 carrots (1/4 inch wheels)
10-14 small potatoes
2 bay leaves
4-5 cups chicken stock
1 bird’s eye pepper (optional)
4 tablespoon parsley (divided)

NOTE! I used “blade” chops as they were on sale and to be honest, I much prefer using meat with bones. IMHO you get a much better flavor.

Put a tablespoon olive oil in your heavy stew pot on a medium heat and add bacon and brown. Remove (about 5 minutes) after you have crispy bacon bits and set aside.

Add 1-2 tablespoon olive oil – brown the lightly flour dusted lamb chops. Don’t crowd the pan, so you may need to do it in 2-3 batches. Set aside. It will take 5-7 minutes.

Remove the chops, lower heat to low and add onion, shallot, and cook for 2-3 minutes. Then add the celery, garlic, thyme and black pepper.

A minute later add the tomato puree and stir well to help the natural sugars of the tomato to shine through. Then it’s time to add wine and stir well.. scrape the bottom of the pot. Raise the heat to medium.. bring to a boil. Add mushrooms, carrots, salt and potatoes. Followed by two bay leaves. Stir

Heat to medium high, add stock and add the browned pieces of lamb and bring to a boil Top with the bacon and 1/2 the parsley and birds eye pepper. Lid on and into your oven – middle rack.

1 1/2 hr later, stir, remove the lid to burn off the excess liquid and thicken up. The flour we dusted the lamb chops with, will help to thicken the gravy now. 2 hours later, remove from the oven, taste for salt and adjust. Top with the remaining parsley and serve.

An absolute stunning one pot dish you’ll thoroughly enjoy on those cold winter nights or.. any night yea. Freeze the remaining stew and thaw on those days you really don’t feel like fussing in the kitchen.

Gluten Free Vegetarian

Oven Roasted Tomato Choka #MeatFree

1 Comment on Oven Roasted Tomato Choka #MeatFree

CHOKA! That heavenly, spicy vegan dish.. packed with roasted tomatoes, garlic and thinly sliced onions! If you’ve had it, you’d know what I mean. I guess this would be like a Caribbean version of Salsa? While ‘baigan’ (eggplant) choka is still the love of my heart, I’m a HUGE fan of tomato choka and since tomatoes are usually cheaper in the grocery, it’s made very often in my kitchen. Without a doubt, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a more delicious vegetarian dish.. just the simplicity of it!

You’ll Need…

8-10 ripe tomatoes
4 cloves garlic
1-3 scotch bonnet peppers
1 tablespoon sea salt (divided)
3 tablespoon olive oil (divided)
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
1/2 red onion (any onion will work)

Note : I used 3 green scotch bonnet peppers.. the green (less mature) will have a ton of flavor, but without the raw heat. That said, be smart and use the variety and amount of pepper you have/can tolerate. Remember to wash your hands with soap and water immediately after handling such hot peppers.

Remove the stems, wash and core (remove the tough area where the stems were with a pairing knife) off the tomatoes. Dry them with paper towels, then onto a lined baking tray, along with the peppers. Drizzle on 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and sprinkle on 1/2 the salt. Toss to coat everything.

Into a 525 F oven on the middle rack. After 5 minutes, remove the peppers and into the mortar. Allow to cool for 1-2 minutes, then remove the stems of the peppers, add the remaining salt along with the garlic.

Crush until you have a somewhat smooth paste.

After 25 minutes the tomatoes will be roasted and ready for use. You may remove the skins or keep them for that lovely smoky flavor. I kept the skins on 1/2 the tomatoes and tossed out the rest.

Add them individually into the mortar and crush. Please be mindful that they may “pop” when you first start crushing and hot juices may go flying at you. Crush until smooth, but with a bit of tiny chunks. Continue with the rest of them. If theres juices accumulated in the roasting tray, pour that into the mix too.

Give everything a good mix, then top with THINLY sliced onion. I used a red onion, but any onion you have on hand will work. Thinly sliced though.

Heat the remaining olive oil in a frying pan (until you see whispers of smoke), then pour directly onto the onions. This step is what we refer to as “Chunkay”. By pouring the hot oil over the onions, you’ll get a lovely flavor and it will slightly cook the onions and take away some of it’s pungency.

Top with the chopped parsley and stir well to combine everything. Hopefully you have some hot Sada Roti and a couple slices of ripe avocado to enjoy the perfect meal. Remember you can use this as a dip or salsa with your fav toasted bread or corn chips.

Gluten Free Seafood

Oven Roasted Yellow Tail Snapper.

4 Comments on Oven Roasted Yellow Tail Snapper.

I’ll be honest, I grew up eating fish three ways. Fried, Stewed and in a lovely Curry Sauce (mommy’s repertoire). Never grilled, steamed, smoked (well except for the smoked herring we get in the Caribbean), oven roasted or broiled. However that quickly changed when I started traveling through the Caribbean and seeing how we do fish and seafood differently. Sadly, I wish I knew sooner (when I lived on the islands) as getting good fish here in Canada is very expensive. Understandable, but painful to see. I’m not a fan of fresh-water (lakes and rivers) fish.. only ocean fish please.

You’ll Need…

1 Snapper (about 2 lbs)
1 tablespoon salt (divided)
1 1/2 tablespoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
4-5 tablespoon olive oil (divided)
2 scallions (chopped)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 cloves garlic (smashed)
8-10 Brussels Sprout (optional)
8-10 cherry tomato
8-10 olives
4 sprigs thyme
1/2 tablespoon parsley (chopped)
1 teaspoon lemon juice (to finish)
*juice of a lime or lemon (to wash the fish)

Important! If doing this recipe gluten free, please go through the entire list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs.

Wash the fish, then cut slits across the thickest part of the back/belly – to help cook faster and to allow for absorption of the marinade.

Salt (1/2 of it) the fish, especially in the cuts and belly of the fish. Then in a small bowl mix the Caribbean Green Seasoning and 2 tablespoon of Olive oil and paste it all over the fish, including the belly cavity.

Then in your roasting dish (oven proof) go in with the 1 tablespoon olive oil and place the fish on it. Add the Olives, Brussels Sprouts, Scallions, Garlic (smashed) and Thyme and pour any remaining marinade over everything. The Brussels Sprouts is optional as I found some in my fridge and tossed them in there… great addition yea.

Top with black pepper and the remaining salt. Drizzle on the remaining olive oil. This will help develop some color during roasting. You may need to go in with you hands and make sure everything is coated. Try to marinate for about 30 minutes.

Now into a 400 F oven uncovered on the middle rack. 25 minutes.. then 5 minutes on broil (525 F) But be mindful it can burn easily at this high temperature.

As it comes out of the oven, drizzle with the lemon juice and top with the chopped parsley. This will brighten the finished dish a bit. I didn’t add any Caribbean Sunshine (Scotch Bonnet) nor anything spicy, but you can certainly add your fave heat source if you wish.

Today moms got a ton of fish recipes in her arsenal, including a to-die-for baked salmon. Maybe I’ll convince her to share that recipe soon. If you can, please support. And should you have questions about this recipe or anything food related, be sure to Ask Chris.

Meat & Poultry

The Ultimate Jerk Pork Bites.

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While I’m an ISLAND boy at heart, my luv for grilled meats, means no snow can prevent me from satisfying my craving. Even when it’s – 27 C outside and the wind charges up your jacket. However, when it’s comes to jerk pork, that’s another story. I need it low and slow for a couple hours and there’s NO way you’d catch me out there that long. So I give my Ultimate Jerk Pork Bites – in the oven!

You’ll Need….

5-6 lbs pork
1 large onion (diced)
5 sprigs thyme
2 scallions (chopped)
1 cup orange juice
1 cup apple cider
1 cup prepared jerk marinade
1 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon grated ginger
8 wiri wiri peppers (optional)
1 lime or lemon (juice) to wash the cut pork

Cube the pork, wash with juice of a lime and cool water and drain dry. I used a cheap piece of pork with some fatty marbling. Anything lean will give you somewhat dry and bland tasting jerk bites.

Prep the ingredients.

Season the pork (I seasoned it directly in the same roasting pan I’ll be using in the oven). Basically add everything to the pork and mix well. I used store -bought Jerk Marinade, so feel free to use your favorite or make your own. I’ve got a couple recipes on here showing how to make from-scratch Jamaican Jerk Marinade. I used Wiri Wiri peppers (what I had in my garden) and left them whole. But you can use any peppers you like or can handle. Don’t break the peppers if you don’t want it overly spicy.

Marinate in the fridge for at least one hour. 4 hours will give you the best results. You’ll notice that I didn’t add any salt as I’m trying my best to cut back on my sodium intake. You may want to add a teaspoon of salt. The jerk marinade I used, along with Soy Sauce did an ok job, as far as salt goes for me.

Then into a 380 F degree preheated oven, but give it another mix before going onto the middle rack. Uncovered! Be sure to stir it every 20 minutes or so. After One hour, this is what it will look like.

I left it in for a total of 2 hours and 40 minutes as I wanted to be sure the pork was fork tender and packed with those wonder jerk flavors. The final 230 minutes, I put the heat up to 400 F to help develop the golden color. Be sure to stir for even coloring.

Top with some freshly parsley if you wish. You may now remove the Wiri Wiri peppers or leave them for the people who like it spicy. If you wanted to add a few drops of liquid smoke, you’re free to do so during the marination process. I’m no fan of the liquid stuff. If you want to do this on a tray over your outdoor grill, do your thing. I’m sure any added smoke (especially from Pimento, Apple, Cherry or Hickory) would kiss this is a nice way.

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